Crime in Moray: 'Paedophile hunter' jailed for 28 months
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A so-called 'paedophile hunter' has been jailed for 28 months.
Nicholas Ferguson downloaded vile images of young children being sexually abused.
He originally tried to claim he did it to try trap paedophiles.
But the 31-year-old later changed his story when he spoke to social workers and admitted he had "a predilection" for child porn.
After Ferguson was arrested and released on bail, he continued to search for obscene images.
At Inverness Sheriff Court today, Ferguson was jailed for a total of 28 months for his collection of still photographs and videos.
The court heard that on some the children's "horrendous distress" could be heard.
Sheriff Sara Matheson stated that only a custodial sentence was appropriate for the first offender.
Ferguson sent screenshots from one obscene video to an Elgin man he suspected could be an abuser.
However the Moray man reported the matter to the police.
Fiscal depute David Morton said suspicion fell on Ferguson who was arrested and charged.
He was released on bail in April 2019.
But four months later Ferguson was filmed on CCTV in a city centre takeaway, physically assaulting a woman's son by pushing him to the side of the head.
This was in breach of a bail condition not to have contact with any children.
Experts subsequently discovered 494 images and 165 videos on one laptop, many of which were of the most obscene category.
Another device belonging to Ferguson was found to contain 129 images and 53 videos, which were created while he was on bail between September 2019 and December 2019.
Again most were in the highest category of depravity, involving boys aged between two and 10.
Ferguson, of St Ninian's Drive, Inverness pleaded guilty to assault, two breaches of bail, downloading, possessing and distributing indecent images and making an indecent communication.
Defence solicitor Shahid Latif said his client "was diagnosed with a complex post traumatic stress disorder linked to his early childhood and adolescence.
"Following that his life spiralled out of control, punctuated by episodes of self-loathing, and he has been on a long period of self-destruction."
Ferguson was also placed on the Sex Offender's Register for 10 years.
