Most people caught with indecent images of children are teens

More 12 to 19-year-olds in Tayside have been reported for taking, sending or possessing indecent images of children than any other age group.

Figures show that 166 people were charged with the offence in the last three years across Tayside.

Of those charged by police, 55 were aged 19 or under while 35 people aged between 20 and 29 were charged.

Police said the vast majority of crimes recorded as committed by those aged 13 to 15 consisted of the sending of private images among individuals and peer groups.

A freedom of information request revealed two people in their seventies were charged for offences involving indecent images.

Of all age groups, 140 men were charged with the crime while 15 were women.

A spokesman for NSPCC Scotland said the production and distribution of images of child abuse is a global criminal industry that “must be stopped in its tracks”.

He added: “Young people who are caught ‘sexting’ put themselves at risk of sexual exploitation, grooming and cyber-bullying, while they could also face the prospect of a criminal record if they are reported to police.”

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said of the 55 recorded crimes in total across the three-year period, children aged from 13 to 15 were responsible for 33 crimes with the remainder – 22 crimes – committed by young adults aged from 16 to 19.

She added: “The vast majority of crimes recorded as committed by those aged 13 to 15 consisted of the sending of private images and photos amongst individuals and peer groups.

“In all but a very small number of cases the child responsible was provided with a restorative warning and/or referred to an external agency for intervention.

“Three males, all aged 15, were reported to the procurator fiscal due to wider issues specific to each case, including related offending leading to the threshold for a report to the procurator fiscal being met.”