Pervert caught with 2500 pictures of kids

Cops find horrific images in raid on home

A depraved Wishaw man was caught with more than 2,500 indecent images of children on his computer.

James Russell was caught redhanded when police raided his home in Greenfield Crescent.

The 50-year-old stood in the dock at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to possessing indecent photographs of children between April 2014 and January of this year.

On January 20 of this year information was received via the National Child Abuse Prevention Unit that a device using the IP address of Russell was connected to the internet and contained indecent images of children.

A search warrant was obtained and police went to Russell’s Wishaw home on January 31.

Officers were met at the door by Russell and a search was carried out.

Police recovered a desktop computer from Russell’s livingroom.

He was asked who it belonged and he replied it was his.

Specialist officers then began a search of the computer and discovered indecent images which were of girls aged between 10 and 15.

Police then detained Russell and he was taken to Coatbridge Police Station.

He made full admissions during an interview stating he had been interested in adult pornography but then continued into searching for child pornography.

He was then charged and replied: “Guilty to the offence listed”.

He was held in custody and appeared in private at Hamilton Sheriff Court on February 1 where he was granted bail.

The images on Russell’s computer totalled almost 2,500 and all featured pre-pubescent girls aged between 10 and 15.

They listed four as being Category A – defined as the most grotesque of all.

Two were of Category B status while 2,486 were listed as being Category C.

Russell’s lawyer, Vincent McGovern, invited Sheriff Marie Smart to call for background reports in the case.

Sheriff Smart agreed and deferred sentence on Russell until November 9.

Russell was placed on the sex offenders’ register in the meantime.