EAST KILBRIDE MAN SENTENCED FOR POSSESSION OF NEARLY 20,000 CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGES

An East Kilbride man, George Crawford, aged 68, was found with nearly 20,000 child sex abuse images after police executed a search warrant at his residence in Ash Place on February 6, 2024. Several devices including a laptop, hard drive, USB sticks, and a systems unit contained images of children being sexually abused, with specialist police officers counting 19,461 images in total, of which 3,418 depicted the most severe abuse. Crawford admitted to possessing indecent images downloaded between January 2018 and February 2023. Despite the severity of the images, he was not sent to prison but was instead placed under social work supervision for two years, with the condition that he complete 300 hours of unpaid community service. Sheriff John Hamilton KC also imposed strict conditions, including restrictions on unsupervised contact with children and staying away from areas where children are likely to be, such as schools and parks. In court, Mr. Coogan, the prosecutor, highlighted that Crawford's internet use will be closely monitored and that he will be subject to a five-year sexual offences prevention order. The defence solicitor acknowledged the disorderly nature of the offence, stating, 'The offence is abhorrent, and the explanation he gives is boredom.' The solicitor also noted Crawford's good character with no prior convictions and that he ceased his offending immediately upon discovery, even completing a self-funded course for offenders. Sheriff Hamilton commented, 'Given your circumstances, age, lack of previous offending, and the measures put in place to control your risk, I can draw back from imposing a custodial sentence.' The court's decision underscores that custody was not deemed necessary given the circumstances.