Ex-RTÉ producer arrested in child porn investigation

Kieran Creaven (56) was detained for more than 18 hours by specialist officers who are investigating sexual exploitation of children in Ireland and Thailand.

He was arrested in a raid at his Dublin home on Wednesday morning and released from custody late that night as part of a major Garda child pornography probe.

The Garda National Protective Services Bureau and the Garda Cyber Crime Unit have been investigating Creaven since he was busted for grooming a child for sexual activity in the UK almost two years ago. It is understood this week's arrest happened after a forensic probe of his devices including a laptop which were seized by gardaí in the aftermath of his arrest in Leeds.

Gardaí have also been in contact with social media company Facebook in an attempt to get information and data about who Creaven had been in contact with before he was arrested in Leeds in November 2017, after he was detained by a vigilante group, Predator Exposure.

On Wednesday, shamed Creaven was arrested on suspicion of committing offences under the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act.

It is understood that gardaí received assistance from international police agencies as part of their lengthy investigation into the former RTÉ employee.

A file on the case will now be prepared for the DPP.

Creaven is understood to have been working in the Dublin docklands area and living in the capital's northside since being released from an English jail in January.