DANIEL DUNCAN ERSKINE CHILD ABUSE VIDEOS SHOCKING CASE

In August 2018, a disturbing case emerged involving Daniel Duncan, a 21-year-old resident of Erskine, who was found to be in possession of a collection of heinous videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children. Despite the severity of the crimes, Duncan was spared a prison sentence and instead received a community-based punishment.

According to court records, Duncan pleaded guilty to hoarding and permitting the possession of these vile films. The court heard that the illegal content had been accumulated over a period of approximately two years. During a hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court, Sheriff Susan Sinclair acknowledged the gravity of the offense but emphasized the importance of rehabilitation and public safety.

She stated, “The offence to which you pled guilty occurred over approximately two years. Any sentence passed has to take into account a punishment element and what is in the public interest. Steps should be taken to protect the public and simple sentences would not necessarily achieve that. Programmes available in the community are not always available in custody.”

Police had uncovered a disturbing cache of images and videos on Duncan’s Samsung mobile phone, which was hidden in one of the bedrooms of his home on Douglas Crescent, Erskine. The footage included graphic scenes of children aged between five and ten being raped, tortured, and abused by adults. One particularly distressing clip depicted an eight-year-old girl in extreme discomfort, while others showed children being coerced into performing sexual acts on men. The court was also informed that one of the videos showed a girl around five years old being repeatedly abused by a grown woman.

Following the discovery, Duncan was arrested on August 14, 2018. He appeared in court, staring straight ahead as the details of his case were read aloud. Despite the heinous nature of the crimes, Duncan was not sentenced to prison. Instead, he was ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work within nine months. Additionally, he was placed under supervision for three years and mandated to attend a specialized program for offenders. Duncan was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register, reflecting the seriousness of his offenses.

In a separate but related case from July 2018, Duncan faced similar charges. Court proceedings revealed that he had amassed a collection of indecent images and videos of children over a span of more than two years. The police had obtained a warrant on July 11, 2017, after intelligence from child protection authorities indicated Duncan’s involvement in collecting such material at his family home. During the search, officers recovered a Samsung mobile phone, which, upon examination, contained 15 still images and 19 video files depicting children aged five to ten being sexually abused.

The forensic analysis classified four images as Category A, indicating the most severe level of abuse, with one at Category B and the remaining ten at Category C. Of the 19 videos, 15 were also classified as Category A, showing children being raped and abused by adults. One particularly disturbing clip depicted an eight-year-old girl in extreme discomfort, while others showed children being forced to perform sex acts on men. A further video showed a five-year-old girl being repeatedly abused by a grown woman. The phone also contained four videos classified at Level B, depicting naked children involved in scenes of sexual abuse.

Throughout the proceedings, Duncan’s defense acknowledged his guilty plea and requested that his bail be maintained while background reports were prepared. Sheriff Sinclair deferred sentencing until August 10, 2018, to allow for a comprehensive social work report and an assessment from the Pathways Project, which specializes in working with sex offenders in Renfrewshire. Duncan was released on bail, having signed papers requiring him to notify authorities under sexual offences legislation, pending his sentencing.