ANDREW LANGAN FROM PRESTWICK JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL OFFENSES

In June 2009, Andrew Langan, a 39-year-old computer specialist from Prestwick, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison after being found with more than 90,000 images of child pornography. Langan, who had worked on systems for prominent firms such as Disney, the US military, and Formula 1 teams, also committed a sexual assault against a young girl and secretly filmed her.

At Ayr Sheriff Court, Sheriff Colin Miller sentenced Langan to 56 months behind bars, describing the case as "one of the most vile cases I have ever come across in a fairly long career on the bench." It was revealed that Langan, an expert in internet technology who had been employed at Compaq, created hidden videos of himself naked, edited these with footage of his victim, and even manipulated images by grafting the girl’s face onto images of other naked children.

A former colleague expressed shock at the accusations, noting, "Everyone was shocked when this came out. Langan was involved in designing supercomputers for F1, the US military, and GCHQ. No one ever imagined he would become involved in such filth." The colleague added, "The ironic thing is that he even designed systems for Disney. As a parent, I am really pleased the sheriff decided to throw the book at him."

Langan’s defense solicitor, Peter Lockhart, explained that after leaving the tech industry, Langan turned to property development. However, financial difficulties and personal struggles then contributed to his decline. Lockhart stated, "He really was at a very low ebb. His marriage had broken up. His successful career had ended, and he was in decline."

The criminal activity was uncovered after the mother of one of Langan’s victims gave a CD she believed to contain blank discs. She was horrified to discover one included covert footage of her daughter undressing. She reported this to the police, leading to a raid on Langan’s home, where investigators seized computer equipment and discs.

Expert analysis uncovered 89,894 indecent images of children aged between 12 and 16, comprising both still and moving images. Further examination revealed an additional 1,200 images and a film of Langan sexually assaulting the girl. Langan admitted to offenses committed between April 29, 2002, and June 3, 2008, at addresses in Alloway and Prestwick, including taking and permitting the creation of indecent photographs of children. He also confessed to indecently assaulting a teenage girl at his home.

He was found to be an avid photographer with a studio in his residence. The girl involved had asked him to take pictures for her social media profile, but during the dressing process, Langan secretly filmed her without her knowledge.

Sheriff Miller condemned Langan’s betrayal of trust, describing his acts as a "gross breach of trust." The sheriff emphasized that viewing child pornography is not a victimless crime, stating, "This is taking part in the abuse of a child. People like you who view these images encourage others to produce them for gratification of perverts like you."

Langan was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. After the sentencing, the girl’s mother expressed her relief and satisfaction, saying, "I’m relieved and glad that the sheriff gave him what he did. I thought he might be remitted to the High Court for sentence, but then he might have gotten less. So I am satisfied the sheriff did a good job."