Married father owned child abuse videos

Clive Price had amassed vile hoard of material over the course of almost a decade

A married businessman who was caught with more than 250 hours of child abuse videos had been downloading them behind his wife’s back for almost a decade.

Online jewellery retailer Clive Price, 61, had built up a haul of videos featuring children as young as five over a period of more than eight years.

When his home was raided by police, the father of three admitted having the hoard but told officers: “It’s not that serious.”

Yesterday he was warned that he faces being sent to prison after he admitted downloading the illegal material from February 2 2009 to November 25 2017.

Depute fiscal John Malpass told Perth Sheriff Court Price was a married fatherof-three who ran a web-based jewellery business from his Perthshire home.

He said police received intelligence which led them to seek a warrant and when they raided Price’s home they found illicit images and videos on several devices and memory sticks.

Mr Malpass said the material was stored alongside paperwork relating to the business Price ran and he freely admitted he had been viewing it.

Price told police: “I have webcam videos of young girls. It’s not that serious.

“My wife knows nothing about this. It’s normally the man who looks at this kind of thing.”

Mr Malpass said the various devices were examined by police and they found a photograph of Price himself, along with numerous business documents and child abuse material.

“The material showed male and female children aged from five to 16.

“There were a number of category A images depicting penetrative sexual activity or sado-masochism between adults and children.

“Across all of the devices there was a total of 1,926 still images and 1,067 videos containing indecent footage of children.

“The videos had a combined running time of more than 250 hours and 19 minutes.

“The earliest creation date was 2 February 2009 and the most recent was 25 November 2017.”

Price’s agent told the court: “He is very aware of the serious nature of the charge he has pled guilty to.

“He is married with a wife and grown-up children.

“Clearly they are devastated by what he has been doing, but they are also supportive providing he acknowledges his offending and seeks help.”

Price, of Perth Road, Scone, was placed on the sex offenders register and sentence was deferred for the preparation of reports.

Sheriff Gillian Wade told him: “You have pled guilty to a very serious charge.

“These are real children and this is real abuse. Be under no illusion I’m taking it very seriously.”

Be under no illusion, I’m taking it very seriously. SHERIFF GILLIAN WADE