ADRIAN SNOWBALL'S SHOCKING CHILD ABUSE IMAGE SCANDAL IN ARNCOACH AND FIFE

In December 2017, a disturbing case emerged involving Adrian Snowball, a well-known community figure from Arncoach, who was found guilty of possessing a vast collection of indecent images of children. Snowball, who held prominent roles such as chairman of East Neuk First Responders and treasurer of the Carnbee and Arncoach Community Council, was initially adamant that he had no involvement with the illicit material discovered on his devices. He claimed that his supposed low sex drive and heterosexual orientation meant he was not interested in such content.

However, the truth unraveled during a police investigation when forensic analysis of his laptop and hard drives revealed a staggering collection of over 10,000 images and videos depicting child abuse. The police raid was prompted by a tip-off received earlier that year, indicating that a Hotmail email address linked to Snowball had been used to upload illicit material to a Microsoft cloud storage service.

On February 22, police officers executed a search warrant at Snowball’s residence in Main Road, Arncoach, where they found him alone. After presenting the warrant and cautioning him, officers questioned Snowball, who initially denied any involvement with indecent images. He claimed that he used his computers solely for slideshows and music, asserting that he had not seen any indecent images on his devices.

Nevertheless, during the search, authorities seized multiple electronic devices. An initial examination revealed the presence of indecent images, leading to Snowball’s detention and transport to Levenmouth police station. Confronted with forensic evidence, Snowball broke down and admitted to viewing and downloading such material. He described the images as his “guilty secret” and confessed to being sexually attracted to boys, which he had come across on certain websites.

The court was informed that Snowball’s collection included 623 still images and 235 videos classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of depravity. Additionally, there were 1,270 images and 145 videos at Category B, and a further 8,603 images along with 387 videos at Category C.

Adrian Snowball, aged 63, pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children on the day of the raid. His defense highlighted his health issues, including a brain abscess in 2010 that left him with visual impairments, speech difficulties, and memory problems, which had made him vulnerable. Despite these mitigating factors, Sheriff Alastair Carmichael sentenced Snowball to six months in prison and ordered him to be placed on the sex offenders register for ten years, citing the high number of Category A images as justification for a custodial sentence.

In the broader context, Snowball’s case drew attention not only because of the severity of his crimes but also due to his previous role as a volunteer promoting digital literacy. Just months before the police raid, he was featured by Digital Scotland as an example of someone helping others to get online, sharing his experiences and encouraging community engagement with technology. This juxtaposition of his public service and criminal conduct has sparked widespread concern and discussion about the hidden dangers lurking behind seemingly respectable community figures.