A Banff man who has a room in his house decorated like a 1960s classroom has been sentenced for child pornography charges.
Philip Ritchie, 57, pleaded guilty to having 576 indecent images of children after police seized his laptop during a raid.
Many of these showed boys posing in swimming trunks.
During the search of Ritchie’s house on Banff High Street, officers found a bedroom styled as though it were a 1950s boys room, another as a toy room and a third decorated like a classroom.
They also discovered school uniforms in adult sizes.
Sentencing him at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday, Sheriff Jack Brown said: “Your lifestyle doesn’t do anyone harm but does when it involves those images.”
He stressed that his punishment would only reflect the crime, rather than Ritchie’s interests or way of life.
“Anyone who is found to be in possession of images is part of a wider community where children are suffering abuse,” the sheriff added.
“That’s something which has to be reflected.”
Ritchie was ordered to carry out 190 hours of unpaid work within nine months.
He is also required to have three years of supervision, must undertake the Moving Forward Making Changes rehabilitation programme and will be subject to the sexual offences act notification requirements.