PITLOCHRY PENSIONER CAUGHT WITH 10,903 OBSCENE CHILD IMAGES SPARED JAIL
A paedophile pensioner from Pitlochry caught with a stash of nearly 11,000 obscene pictures of children has been spared jail.Colin Walls, 75, downloaded the vile material out of boredom, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
He “remained calm” when police raided his home in Highland Perthshire, telling his wife things would be fine.
But he was warned he could have been jailed when he appeared in the dock and admitted possessing the mass of indecent photos.
Sheriff William Wood told Walls his age and lack of criminal history had helped keep him out of prison.
Computers seized The court heard how police received intelligence an IP address registered at Walls’ home in Bonnethill Road had been used to access child sex abuse material.
Officers descended on the property just before 9am on June 27, 2022.
Walls and his wife were taken into the living room, where police explained the reason for the search.
His wife replied: “It’s not me.” Walls remained calm and told his wife “everything would be okay”.
A computer hard drive and a storage device were seized, containing a total of 10,903 images, featuring young female children.
All the files were listed at Category C – the lowest level – on the court’s obscenity scale.
Walls, who has no previous convictions, is considered a low risk of reoffending and is at a low risk of reoffending, his lawyer said.
The offending appears to have been driven by boredom and isolation.
He will undergo a rehabilitation scheme as part of the Stop It Now program.
Sheriff William Wood told Walls: “The nature and number of images found in your possession was substantial.
That means imposing a custodial sentence is an option.
However, I take into account your age and the fact you are a first offender.
It is also significant that none of the images are higher than Category C.
But that does not minimize the abuse children were subjected to in order to create these images.
I am satisfied I can deal with this other than a custodial sentence but it will be a robust disposal.” Walls was placed on supervision, ordered to complete 160 hours of unpaid work, and will stay on the Sex Offenders Register for two years.
