MAN HAD HUNDREDS OF ILLICIT FILES ON HIS ELECTRONICS
Last year, police uncovered a paedophile from St Fergus who had amassed a sizable collection of illegal images and videos involving young children and bestiality.Charles Hamilton-Reddy appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court, appearing distressed as authorities explained how he had stored this material both at his home and on a tablet he carried to work.
He was found to have hundreds of images along with 13 hours of video footage showing adults in sexual acts with animals.
Sheriff Annella Cowan indicated that normally such offences would warrant imprisonment, but she also noted an alternative sentence could be considered.
Prosecutor Ruaridh McAllister described how police, acting on intelligence, raided Hamilton-Reddy’s residence on January 16 last year.
His wife permitted officers inside before he arrived at his workplace, where he admitted to possessing the explicit content.
He confessed that the material was stored on his tablet, which he kept in his car, and included images of minors aged around 10 to 13 and content involving bestiality.
A comprehensive search of his devices uncovered one picture of a child on his mobile phone and additional files on his home computer.
The tablet contained a more extensive collection, with 188 images 37 of which were deemed most serious and 160 videos involving children, amounting to over 16 hours of footage.
These files ranged from 2018 to 2025.
Further investigations revealed that Hamilton-Reddy used Kik Messenger to communicate sexually with a girl claiming to be 15.
On March 29, 2020, he received a message from her and responded with sexualised comments.
His defence solicitor, Sam Milligan, explained that since his client’s arrest, efforts had been made to prevent further offending, including participation in the Lucy Faithful Foundation programme aimed at safeguard and prevention.
The court heard that Hamilton-Reddy cooperated with police investigations, showing no resistance.
He expressed willingness to undertake further intervention programs.
In sentencing, Sheriff Cowan indicated society’s natural inclination would be to imprison him, but nonetheless recognised the steps he had taken to address his issues.
Consequently, he was ordered to perform 300 hours of unpaid work, remain under social supervision for three years, and adhere to a decade-long notification requirement.
