GREENOCK PERVERT JAILED FOR 10,000 INDECENT IMAGES OF KIDS
A GREENOCK sex offender has been locked for more than two years after police found upwards of 10,000 indecent images of children on his electronic devices.Daniel Watson, 37, admitted possessing illegal photographs and videos at his home in Sir Michael Street between May 2015 and February 2024.
He also distributed similar material over the course of three and half months in 2023.
The first offender appeared at Greenock Sheriff Court for sentencing, which was deferred for the preparation of a background report.
The court heard that more than 10,000 examples of child sexual abuse were found on a laptop and hard drive belonging to Watson.
A further 1,013 files on a mobile phone included 241 still photographs and 772 moving images, including 468 videos deemed to be category A, indicating content of the highest severity.
Social work reports described Watson as a medium risk of reoffending.
He pleaded guilty to possession and distribution charges last month, indicating his intentions to admit the offences before the court hearing.
The case was later called, and the defense solicitor asked for consideration of his early pleas and lack of previous offending, noting he had contributed to society previously.
However, Sheriff James Varney expressed concern about the seriousness of the offences, emphasizing that each victim is a victim of sexual abuse and criticizing Watson's perceived downplaying of the severity.
Watson was sentenced to 28 months in prison, reduced from 42 due to his plea timing, and was placed on the sex offenders register for ten years.
—————————————————————————————————— UPDATE —————————————————————————————————— GREENOCK SEX OFFENDER WHO GROOMED 'BOY OF 14' ONLINE BOASTED OF ABUSING CHILD A GREENOCK sex offender is facing further time behind bars after he admitted discussing sexual abuse of children in online chats - while he was awaiting sentence for possessing more than 10,000 indecent images.
The discovery was made after police seized mobile phones from his home in July 2025.
Greenock Sheriff Court heard that search warrants were granted after Watson engaged in conversations of a sexual nature online with an undercover police officer, who was posing as a 14-year-old boy named ‘Z’.
He exchanged messages with the officer on two apps, Hornet and Kik, over the course of two days in June 2025.
Within these, he identified himself as a ‘single male interested in 11- to 17-year-olds’.
The messages indicated that Watson was ‘fully aware’ that the recipient was ’14 years old’.
He discussed travelling via train to meet ‘Z’, but no firm plans were made.
He also sent photographs of his private parts and a recording of himself performing a sexual act.
Mobile phones contained further messages sent to unknown persons, and he told one user that he ‘loved young lads’, claiming to have had sexual involvement with a 13-year-old previously.
Watson was caught boasting about his ‘fondness for young lads’ and communicating with someone he believed was a boy under 16 via Hornet and Kik messaging apps.
A fiscal depute told the court: “He went into graphic detail about meeting that child and sexually abusing him on three separate occasions.” On Tuesday, Watson pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to view a sexual image and to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by repeatedly discussing the sexual abuse of children online.
He also admitted breaching a court bail order by installing software capable of peer-to-peer sharing and using programmes designed to permanently delete files, and failing to notify police of new online identities within three days.
Watson had previously pleaded guilty to possessing more than 10,000 indecent images of children and was jailed for 28 months, with a 10-year sex offenders register requirement.
He is currently serving time at Kilmarnock prison and will return to court for sentencing on April 8, where an extended sentence may be imposed to further protect the public.
——————————————————————————————————UPDATE ——————————————————————————————————- A SEX offender has been handed a further prison sentence after he admitted discussing graphic abuse of children through online messaging apps.
The messages were discovered on Daniel Watson phone when it was seized from his home while he was on bail awaiting sentencing for possessing upwards of 10,000 indecent images and videos of children.
Police searched the 37-year-olds home on July 21 last year after he engaged with conversations of a sexual nature with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old named.
He exchanged messages with the officer over two dates in June last year, identifying himself as a single male interested in 11- to 17-year-olds.
Watson admitted discussing graphic abuse of children through online messaging apps.
The conversations indicated he was fully aware\u2019 that the user was 14 years old, and he sent photographs of his private parts and a video of himself performing a sexual act.
Watson also admitted sending sexual messages to persons who remain unknown to prosecutors, told one recipient he loved young lads and claimed to have had sexual involvement with a 13-year-old in the past.
He pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child to view a sexual image, behaving in a threatening or abusive manner by discussing the sexual abuse of children online, and breaching bail conditions by installing peer-to-peer sharing software and failing to notify police of his new names.
Watson returned for sentencing and was given a 500-day custodial sentence, which will start once he finishes his current imprisonment, plus a ten-year sex offenders registration and a five-year sexual harm prevention order.
