A teenager kept indecent images of toddlers in a folder on his phone marked ‘hot stuff’, a court has heard.
Blaine Towler, 19, was snared by police while sharing indecent videos of children with another paedophile using the social media application Kik.
When they inspected Towler’s devices, they found him in possession of dozens of disturbing photographs and videos of underage boys and girls.
Some of those were of the most serious category and featured children as young as one.
The nature of some of the videos was described in Aberdeen Sheriff Court, but is too disturbing to report.
A sheriff described Towler’s offences as “serious and concerning” as she sentenced him to carry out community service.
Horrific material found on devices
Fiscal depute David Ballock told the court that police were alerted by the National Child Abuse Investigating Unit that a Snapchat account connected to Towler had uploaded a Category A image to the internet on January 12 last year.
A search warrant was executed for Towler’s Torry home, where two mobile phones were discovered, one of which Towler had used to send two videos of the most serious category to another user on the Kik app.
These videos featured girls aged between 10 and 14 years of age.
On the same device, cybercrime officers found a gallery folder entitled ‘hot stuff’ with 50 video files of varying categories featuring children aged between one and 14 years of age.
Another Category A video discovered on the phone featured a 13-year-old Korean girl and lasted over five minutes.
Upon examining the other phone, Towler was found to be using this to send and receive child sex abuse material through the Telegram social media application.
In a group chat, up to 80 Category A images and videos were found involving children aged as young as one.
Within the gallery on the device, 21 video files of girls as young as two were also found.
Another application was found that also featured several indecent videos of girls aged as young as five. These were also all of the most serious category.
In the dock, Towler pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading child abuse material and a second charge of being in possession of indecent images of children.
He also admitted being in possession of extreme pornography involving children and animals and a final charge of distributing indecent images of children.
Solicitor says client needs social work intervention
Defence solicitor Mike Monro stated that his client currently had other outstanding matter to which he had pleaded guilty and made the case that Towler needed help to overcome his demons.
“If ever sombody required the assistance that can be given by the criminal justice social work department, then my client is it,” he said.
“I ask that he be dealt with by way of a community disposal.”
Sheriff Christine McCrossan described Towler’s offences as “serious and concerning” but added she would “allow him to get assistance”.
The sheriff made Towler, of Kirkhill Road, Aberdeen, subject to a community payback order with supervision for three years and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
She also made him subject to a sex offenders programme and placed him on the sex offenders register for three years.
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