Image copyright Dionisio Margarete Image caption Dionisio Margarete has appeared in court on various charges
A Toronto man has been charged with 138 offences following an investigation into allegations of child luring in Ireland and the United States.
Dionisio Margarete, of Toronto, was arrested on 15 March and appeared before the Louth District Court.
Mr Margarete appeared in court on Saturday charged with 43 offences in the US and Ireland.
The Irish Republic’s Police Service of Northern Ireland said it has made significant progress in the investigation.
It said a total of nine people in North America were arrested and in Ireland the police have interviewed more than 115 potential victims.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland have said they have been dealing with a “significant number of individuals alleging sexual offences” since the investigation began.
The inquiry was prompted after a complaint was made to Canadian police.
‘Motive unknown’
It is understood Mr Margarete had been living in Canada and was a chef.
He is facing nine charges in North America, including two of production and possessing child pornography and four of enticing a child under the age of 16.
He is also accused of creating fictitious personas to use to make calls to children.
Police in North America say they have made “significant progress in the investigation”.
They declined to comment further on Sunday, but North American media reported the suspects were told they would remain in custody “until when the issue of extraditions in both jurisdictions is resolved”.
Ms. Notine said: “While arrests and charges have been made, there are still many victims in need of support and our investigation is continuing. “
Mr Margarete has not entered pleas to the charges against him.
Concern about the ongoing investigation came to a head in the Irish capital on 14 March when the suspect was seen running from a London Irish bar.
Speaking after he was arrested, an Irish Police Service spokesperson said: “A man, 39, has been charged with 13 offences relating to child sexual abuse within the United States and two offences in Canada.
“The man had been under investigation following allegations received by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.”
The spokesman added it was still “too early” to say if there could be any connections to the Irish Republic.
“Concerns have been raised, and, of course, our officers are concerned but at this stage no link has been identified.”
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The investigation came in the wake of the #MeToo movement in the US and abroad, which has shone a light on sexual abuse.
The method of obtaining underage children to engage in sexual activity has also come under scrutiny.
It has been suggested that paedophiles could be disguising themselves as family members or coaches in order to become close to young people.
Read more: In depth: Irish public warned about risks of paedophiles