ANTONY CLAYSON FROM HOLYLEE SENTENCED FOR CHILD-PORNOGRAPHY IN HAWICK AND JEDBURGH

In February 2013, a disturbing case unfolded involving Antony Clayson, a 19-year-old resident of Holylee, who was convicted of possessing a significant collection of child abuse images. The investigation revealed that Clayson had downloaded a total of 757 indecent photographs and videos depicting children, which he stored on computers located at his former residence in Hawick. The severity of his offenses was underscored by the fact that ten of these images were classified as level five, the most serious category under the relevant guidelines.

Clayson appeared before Jedburgh Sheriff Court to face charges related to the possession of these illicit materials. He admitted to having indecent photographs of children at a property on North Bridge Street, with the offenses spanning from February 2009 to February 2012. As a result of his guilty plea, his name was entered into the Sex Offenders Register for a period of ten years.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser provided details of the police investigation during an earlier hearing. Authorities had received information indicating that Clayson was viewing child pornography at his North Bridge Street address. A search warrant was subsequently executed, leading to the discovery of a substantial collection of child abuse images and videos on three computers found at the premises. The material predominantly featured young boys engaged in sexual acts, with images categorized across all five levels of severity, from least to most extreme.

According to Mr. Fraser, the images involved children performing sexual acts, mainly boys around the age of 12. During police interviews, Clayson, who described himself as a musician, stated that he was “gay with a twist,” explaining that the twist was his occasional attraction to girls. The prosecutor further revealed that over the past year, Clayson had developed an addiction to viewing these images, often doing so on a daily basis. It was also noted that Clayson would sometimes carry out sexual acts while viewing the child pornography, although he denied ever physically abusing children.

The police findings detailed that among the images on Clayson’s computers, 310 were classified as level one, 90 as level two, 102 as level three, 245 as level four, and 10 as level five. His defense solicitor, Ross Dow, explained that Clayson had described his initial attraction to children as the starting point of his problematic behavior. Mr. Dow stated, “It then became an addiction and on most days he would look at the images.” He added that Clayson had attempted to delete the most extreme images, acknowledging that even he felt they were too graphic. The lawyer emphasized that Clayson viewed the material solely for sexual gratification, noting that most images involved teenagers, although many depicted much younger children.

Mr. Dow also highlighted that Clayson had never engaged in any physical contact with children and had not sought help earlier out of fear of incarceration. The court was informed that Clayson exhibits traits associated with autism and had a troubled childhood marked by bullying. Throughout the investigation, Clayson fully cooperated with police during the search and subsequent inquiries.

In sentencing, Sheriff Derrick McIntyre acknowledged the gravity of the offense. He emphasized that the act of viewing and downloading child abuse images contributes directly to the cycle of child sex abuse. The sheriff pointed out that the 757 images recovered included some of extremely young children, underscoring the seriousness of the case. Consequently, Sheriff McIntyre sentenced Clayson to a custodial term, reflecting the need for punishment and deterrence in such cases.