Man caught with indecent images of children claimed he didn’t ‘knowingly’ download them

A Sutherland man who admitted possessing indecent images of children engaged in sexual activity with adults and animals claimed he didn’t “knowingly” download them.

Inverness Sheriff Court was told that police searched 63-year-old Ian Mitchell’s home at Haradwaith in Lairg on July 9, 2020, after receiving intelligence that he may have the graphic pictures.

Fiscal depute David Morton told Sheriff Margaret Neilson that Mitchell confessed to officers: “There are probably some on my laptop.”

He added that he had downloaded them from social media and went on: “I never knowingly downloaded anything illegal.”

The court was told 170 images were found – all thumbnails – and involved girls and boys as young as five.

A total of 25 were category A, the most serious.

Sentence was deferred until December 14 on the first offender for a background report.

Mitchell was immediately placed on the Sex Offenders Register and his bail was continued.