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A 49-year-old Virgin Media field engineer had his name added to the Sex Offenders’ Register yesterday after police seized electronic devices containing images of child abuse from his home.

Rodney Rice, of Kirkton Farm Cottage, Abernyte, will be sentenced on June 24 after background reports have been obtained.

Depute fiscal Michael Sweeney told the court that Police Scotland obtained a search warrant for his home after receiving ‘confidential information’ that indecent images of children might be held on devices there.

The warrant was executed at 7.45am on August 19, 2020.

A White Gamemax Computer Tower was recovered and it showed that indecent images of children had been downloaded between 7.10am and 7.18am that morning.

The accused confirmed that the computer tower was his.

Officers also took possession of a Seagate hard drive.

It contained one indecent image of children and eight videos.

Mr Sweeney added: “In total, the video run time was 26 minutes and 22 seconds.

“There were two category A, four category B and two category C videos, all inaccessible.

“Two inaccessible category B images were recovered in total.”

Solicitor Pauline Cullerton will give her plea in mitigation next month.

Sheriff William Wood called for a social inquiry report, as well as an assessment from the Tay Project which aims to rehabilitate sex offenders.

Rice admitted downloading indecent child abuse images at his home between April 13 and August 19, 2020.

He also pled guilty to owning an air weapon without the appropriate certificate.

He told police during interview he had bought it years previously in Blackpool.

It had not been used in years and he had not “got round” to getting a licence for it.