DARRYL BURNSIDE OBAN COP CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AND BABY VIDEO

In September 2018, Darryl Burnside, a former police officer from Oban with a career spanning over three decades, was sentenced to eight months in prison after admitting to possessing a collection of highly disturbing child abuse images. The conviction followed a police raid on his residence in Nant Drive, Oban, where officers uncovered a series of illicit photographs and videos involving minors.

Burnside, aged 50 at the time, pleaded guilty to having indecent images of children in his possession between September 13, 2016, and October 13, 2017. The investigation was initiated after a cyber crime operation led to a search warrant being executed at his home. A team of thirteen officers from Oban, including cyber crime specialists, attended the scene in October 2017, following intelligence that suggested illegal online activity linked to Burnside.

During the search, authorities seized a Kindle device and a tablet, both of which were later examined in detail. The devices contained a disturbing array of images, including seven of the most severe Category A images, one Category B, and 49 Category C images on the tablet. The Kindle held three Category A moving images and three still images classified as Category C. Among these, one video depicted a baby less than 18 months old in obvious distress, while other images showed young girls, some as young as eight or ten, in compromising situations.

The police investigation revealed that Burnside had used these electronic devices to access and view illegal content involving minors. During interviews at Oban Police Station, Burnside admitted ownership of the devices and his use of them to browse such material. However, he declined to comment when questioned about his online activities related to chat forums.

Despite the social work report highlighting Burnside’s positive contributions during his police service, Sheriff Patrick Hughes emphasized the severity of the images found in his possession. The sheriff pointed out that the Category A images involved penetration and caused significant suffering to the children depicted. As a result, a custodial sentence was deemed appropriate. Although initially considered for a 12-month term, the sheriff reduced the sentence to eight months to reflect Burnside’s early guilty plea.

In addition to his jail time, Burnside has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register and will be subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for ten years. The case underscores the grave nature of child exploitation crimes and the importance of rigorous law enforcement efforts to combat such offenses, especially involving individuals in positions of authority and trust within communities like Oban.