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20th Dec 2017

RTÉ dismisses producer Kieran Creaven after he pleaded guilty to grooming a child

Michael Lanigan

Creaven pleaded guilty to two child sex offences.

RTÉ has dismissed the TV sports producer, Kieran Creaven.

The 55-year-old pleaded guilty to grooming and attempting to engage a child in sexual activity in Leeds Crown Court on 18 December.

Creaven was arrested in Leeds on 18 November after he was confronted by a vigilante group, known as Predators Exposed.

The Yorkshire-based group sets up fake online profiles claiming to be underage users and they had been in contact with Creaven since July 2017.

The entire confrontation was streamed via Facebook Live, during which time, the group placed Creaven under citizens’ arrest.

During the video, Creaven insisted that he had no children and had reached out to this girl simply to act as a father figure.

The group dismissed these statements and claimed to be in possession of a number of explicit images sent by ‘Jimmi Cee’, which was the username Creaven is alleged to have used.

On 19 November at Leeds Magistrate Court, Creaven was charged with the two offences. The Crown Prosection had objected to bail, but it was granted to him by the Magisterial Court under a series of strict conditions, including that he reside at his Irish address, before travelling back to Leeds to stand trial on 18 December.

Creaven will return to England to be sentenced on 12 February 2018.