An Aberdeen dad has been jailed for almost two years after being caught with thousands of images of child and animal porn.
Cornelius Conn admitted downloading more than 8,000 illicit pictures onto his home computer and two laptops over a three year period.
A haul of pornographic images of children, mostly girls aged between one and 15 engaged with adults, was recovered from his home in Rosemount Square, Aberdeen.
Police also found four hours of sexually explicit footage and a separate stash of animal porn which included humans engaged in sexual activity with animals including horses, dogs, a snake and a dolphin.
Conn appeared in Aberdeen Sheriff Court on 23 February this year where he pled guilty to two charges which took place between March 2013 and February last year.
He had previously been jailed for 15 months in January 2014 after 50 cannabis plants were found in his home.
Representing the 47-year-old, defence counsel Alex Burn said: “My client has been willing to engage with the Moving Forward, Making Changes programme.
“He accepts responsibility for the images appearing on his devices.
“He has two children and this will have a devastating impact on them.”
Imposing a sentence, Sheriff Graeme Napier said: “Combined with his previous conviction it is clear Conn does not think the rules apply to him.
“I have thought long and hard about this and there is no alternative to a custodial sentence.”
Conn was jailed for 21 months and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.
A spokesman from NSPCC Scotland said there were “real children” behind every indecent image of youngsters.
Responding to the verdict he said: “Possessing, downloading and distributing indecent images of children are appalling crimes.
“These are real children and behind every single one of these pictures is a young victim who will need considerable support to recover from the crimes inflicted on them.
“It is vital that individuals like Conn who are responsible for downloading these images are investigated and brought to court to account for their crimes against children.”
Anyone concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC helpline on 0808 800 5000, while young people can contact Childline on 0800 1111.