Keith man given 30-month community payback order after being found with indecent images of children
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A "socially-isolated" Keith man picked the wrong people to communicate with on the internet and they sent him indecent images and videos of children, Inverness Sherriff Court has been told.
Defence solicitor Matthew O'Neill said his client Euan Davidson (40), of Fraser Place, had "learning difficulties" and the persons he regarded as friends "engaged in behaviour which he would not normally".
Mr O'Neill added: "The images were sent to him and he did not seek them out."
His plea not to jail Davidson was heeded by Sheriff Sara Matheson, who placed Davidson on a 30-month community payback order with supervision for the same period.
In addition, Davidson, who admitted possessing the images, was told to carry out 210 hours of unpaid work.
He had already been placed on the Sex Offender's Register for a similar time back in April.
Sheriff Matheson told him: "The reason I am not sending you to prison is because of the low number of images, your low IQ and the low risk of you re-offending.
"But you will require supervision to keep you safe."
Inverness Sheriff Court was previously told that, in October 2019, Police Scotland received intelligence that on October 3, 2018, Facebook user Euan Davidson had uploaded a Category A indecent image of a child.
More than four weeks later, on October 29, police obtained a search warrant for Davidson's home.
The court heard that, during a preliminary examination of Davidson's electronic devices, no evidence of indecent images of children or extreme pornography was found but they were submitted for further analysis.
Fiscal depute Robert Weir said: "During the examination of the mobile telephone, 16 Category A, B and C indecent images of children were found.
"The children featured were estimated to be between four and 14 years of age, engaged in erotic posing, non-penetrative sexual activity with each other and adults, and penetrative sexual activity with each other and an adult.
"As well as the still images, seven Category A and C videos of male children aged between a baby and 15 years engaged in masturbation and penetrative sexual activity with each other and adults were also found."
