No jail for man with indecent photo haul
Downloading tip-off led to police raid of Stirling home
A man caught with hundreds of indecent pictures and videos of children as young as five has been spared jail.
Police from the National Child Abuse Investigations Exploitation Unit raided Steven Anderson’s home in Randolph Terrace, Stirling, in March last year after receiving a tip-off that indecent images of children were being downloaded to an internet connection at the address.
Investigators seized a computer system unit from Anderson’s study on the first floor and an external hard drive from a window sill, and Anderson surrendered his mobile phone.
Across the three devices, cybercrime specialists identified 618 indecent photo files and nine videos.
A total of 52 pictures and two videos were rated as “Category A,” the most serious level.
Stirling Sheriff Court heard that the ages of the children featured ranged from 14 down to just five.
The videos had a total running time of 83 minutes.
Anderson, 44, a married first offender, appeared for sentence after pleading guilty last month to downloading and possessing indecent images of children.
Solicitor Ken Dalling, defending, said Anderson was now the subject of an investigation at his job - which wasn’t specified in court.
Mr Dalling said: “He tells me that recently, while he remains in full-time employment, he has been suspended by his employer in connection with this.
“The question, I think, that is focusing his employer is whether there was any misuse made of computer devices within their control.
“He is adamant that there was not.
“He bitterly regrets the behaviour that brings him to court, he appreciates the seriousness of it, the impact of it on others, and he does not seek to hide from that.”
Mr Dalling said Anderson had already been engaging voluntarily in a treatment scheme to address his offending.
He added: “He has the support of his wife.”
Sheriff Keith O’mahony placed Anderson on a 7pm to 7am curfew for eight months, during which he will have to wear an electronic ankle tag, sentenced him to 200 hours of unpaid work, ordered him to attend a sex offender treatment project, and placed him under social work supervision for three years and on the sex offenders’ register for five years.
The sheriff told him: “I’ve considered carefully what the appropriate sentence might be in this case.
“I consider I can, just, deal with this in a non-custodial manner.
“However this is a direct alternative to custody.
“If you breach this order, you’ll leave me with no alternative but to imprison you.”
I consider I can, just, deal with this in a non-custodial manner Sheriff Keith O’mahony