A serial sex offender has been jailed after police raided his home in Huntly and found hundreds of indecent images and videos of children on his devices.
Christopher Barron, 29, appeared for sentencing at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he had earlier pleaded guilty to possessing more than 400 images and around 40 videos featuring child abuse.
It was stated that Barron – who already had a previous conviction for a similar offence – had uploaded the indecent content via the Kik application.
Within the footage found on Barron’s devices, some of the children featured were aged as young as four.
Barron was also in possession of a multi-tool knife when he was taken into police custody at an Aberdeenshire garden centre.
Phone found to contain many indecent images
Fiscal depute Jennifer Pritchard told the court at a previous hearing on April 13 last year, Police Scotland received intelligence that indecent images had been uploaded to the internet via the Kik application.
It was linked to a device that that was connected to the internet at Barron’s address.
A search warrant was granted and police officers attended at Barron’s home in Huntly on May 29 2023 where officers found several devices, including a mobile phone.
The phone, which belonged to Barron, was examined and found to contain many indecent images and videos of children.
Around 132 Category A images and 30 Category A videos, 155 Category B images and 10 videos and 124 images and 9 Category C videos were discovered on the phone.
The children featured, most of whom were girls, were between four and 15 years old.
Ms Pritchard said the total runtime for the videos was more than 36 minutes.
When police arrested Barron on the same morning they had raided his house they found him in possession of a multi-tool knife within his backpack as they placed him in a van.
In the dock, Barron pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading and uploading indecent images of children.
He also admitted being found in possession of a knife.
‘He knows the consequences’
Defence solicitor Mike Monro told the court that his client “accepts the seriousness of his predicament”.
“Mr Barron knows he is doing wrong, and he felt sick about getting himself into this mess.
“He installed Kik and he knows he did that – but he also knows the consequences if he comes to court.”
Mr Monro also told the court that Barron already had a previous conviction for possessing child images, for which he had undertaken a sex offenders programme.
The solicitor asked the sheriff to make his client subject to community service with further programme work, despite conceding that it was not common for the court to do so.
But Sheriff Morag McLaughlin told Barron that she was “not prepared” to let him carry out a community order given he has a previous conviction for a similar offence.
“You were given the opportunity to do the programme work but again find yourself in a position where you are using this material.
“The only appropriate sentence is a custodial one.”
Sheriff McLaughlin sentenced Barron, of West Court, Huntly, to 12 months in prison and made him subject to the sex offenders register for 10 years.
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