Former janitor sentenced over child images

Police raid caught 60-year-old with 30 indecent photographs of children

A former Fife school janitor who was caught with child abuse images has been ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid work.

James Allan appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing yesterday after previously admitting being in possession of 30 indecent images.

The 60-year-old was caught after police received intelligence that a computer at his former home in Lochgelly had been accessing the material online.

A subsequent raid on August 31 revealed the photos, including one that Allan had edited himself.

The janitor, who used to work at Lochgelly High School, admitted being in possession of the images and claimed the court case had left him estranged from his family.

Defence solicitor Chris Sneddon told the court: “He has been effectively cut off from his entire family and is staying in temporary accommodation.

“A family conference was held and it was decided that he was required to leave his home and is therefore estranged from his wife.”

Mr Sneddon added that his client, who is a first time offender, committed the offence because he was spending “too much time on the computer”.

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC said: “As I’m sure you appreciate, a conviction for an offence involving the possession of indecent photos of children is a very serious one indeed.

“The reason why it is so serious is the fact that these images do not exist without a child or children being abused and that’s a very serious matter,” he said.

Allan, who is regarded as being at a low risk of re-offending, was given a community payback order to perform 200 hours of unpaid work within six months.

He was also placed under supervision for two years and placed on the sex offenders register for the same time period.

Allan, who is understood to now live in the Rosyth area, is banned from having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.

He must also only stay at accommodation approved by a social worker and must make all his digital devices available for inspection when requested.

Sharon McKenzie, head of human resources at Fife Council, said: “As a responsible employer, we can’t discuss the individual circumstances of any current or former employees.

“While this is a criminal matter, Fife Council has a clear code of conduct for our employees and any behaviour falling short of this is dealt with appropriately,” she said.