A Newburgh man found with indecent images and videos of children on his mobile phone told police he hadn’t been “purposefully” seeking them out.
Jayme Williams, 30, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted being in possession of 100 pornographic images – some of which featured children as young as two years old.
As officers searched Williams’ property and seized his devices, they found indecent videos on his phone that included footage of young girls.
The videos found on Williams’ phone were of the most serious category.
As Williams was arrested, he told police officers that he hadn’t “intended” to download the illegal content and that he hadn’t “purposefully hunted” it out.
His solicitor told the court that his client’s actions have “completely destroyed his life”.
‘It wasn’t something I intended to do’
Fiscal depute Jane Spark told the court that police attended at Williams home on June 8 last year and were afforded entry by his partner.
A search of the property found several devices, which Williams said belonged to him.
One mobile phone that was found was examined and four Category A videos of girls aged between six and 10 were discovered with a total run time of one hour eight minutes.
Around 100 images of child abuse were also found on the phone and featured girls and boys aged between two and 12 years old.
These were all in the A to C category, Ms Spark said.
As he was arrested and taken to Kittybrewster Police Station, Williams was cautioned and arrested.
In reply to caution, he replied: “Just that I’m sorry. It wasn’t something I intended to do. I didn’t go out and purposefully hunt for it.”
In the dock, Williams pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading indecent images of children.
Cops made Williams call his boss, solicitor says
Defending Williams, solicitor Michael Burnett said his client had “fallen down a rabbit hole” online.
“He had gone looking for something else entirely, this has then appeared, and it has progressed from there,” the lawyer said.
“This is a situation of his own doing, but it has completely destroyed his life.”
Mr Burnett even claimed that when police were searching Williams’ home they made him call his employer “there and then” and inform them what had been found.
“As a result, his job is gone,” he said, adding: “Mr Williams has paid dearly for this.”
Sheriff Craig Findlater told Williams that the court takes “an extremely serious view of this type of offending”.
“People who commit these types of offences who go on to receive a community disposal are a small number,” the sheriff said.
He added: “But you have no previous convictions and were of good standing within the community prior to this.
“As much as you have been punished as was described, you have also accepted responsibility for what you did.”
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Findlater made Williams, of Kestrel Road, Newburgh, subject to a community payback order and ordered him to carry out 130 hours of unpaid work.
He also placed Williams on the sex offenders register for two years.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.