A Bucksburn man has been placed on the sex offender’s register for three years after police raided his home and found hundreds of indecent images of children.
Cameron Bruce, 38, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted keeping a hoard of images and videos on his personal laptop and mobile phone.
Police found more than 700 images of children alongside nearly four hours of video footage.
The court heard Bruce, a designer trainer repairman, had been amassing the indecent content on his devices for more than three months.
Most of the videos found on Bruce’s laptop were in the most serious category.
Raid uncovered images and videos of kids
Fiscal depute Carol Gammie told the court that police executed a search warrant at Bruce’s Bucksburn address on October 5 last year.
“It was in response to intelligence they had received that the accused was in possession of indecent images of children,” she said.
“A number of electronic devices were seized during the search including a laptop and mobile phone, which the accused identified as belonging to him.
“Indecent images of children were found on both the laptop and mobile phone.”
Ms Gammie said that the mobile phone contained 32 Category A images, 62 Category B images and 576 Category C pictures.
A total of 29 videos were also found.
On Bruce’s laptop, police discovered 56 Category A videos and five images, 20 Category B videos and 8 images and 25 Category C videos and 24 images.
Around three hours and fifty-two minutes of video footage of children was found across both devices.
Bruce pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading child images and videos and a further charge of possessing indecent images and videos of children.
‘You know how serious this is’
Defence agent Tony Burgess told the court that a social work report into Bruce gave “the impression of someone who refuses to accept responsibility” for his actions.
He added: “He finds it difficult to trust people and that makes him come across as somewhat aloof.
“But once you’re past that he opens up and accepts that wrong he has done.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told Bruce: “You appear here with no previous convictions but you know how serious this is and people in your position will often end up being sentenced to a custodial sentence.
“If you were ever to come back to court for similar offences that is almost definitely what would happen.”
As an alternative to prison, Sheriff McLaughlin sentenced Bruce to a community payback order with supervision for three years and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
She also placed him on the sex offender’s register for three years.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.