GORDON HUME BEITH SEX OFFENDER RECEIVES COMMUNITY ORDER IN KILMARNOCK
| Red Rose Database
Beith Online Groomer
A sex offender from Beith, Gordon Hume, has been sentenced after admitting to possessing and sharing indecent images of children. He was spared jail during his court appearance at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, December 17, in what was described as "very much a narrow decision."
The 39-year-old appeared again in court this week, having previously pleaded guilty to taking or permitting the taking of indecent images or pseudo-images of children between December 18, 2020, and April 9, 2023, from his former home address in Beith. Additionally, from December 18, 2020, until May 25, he possessed indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. A police investigation recovered a stash of 117 images from Hume’s iPhone.
Prosecutors described some of these images, including "a female baby of around one-year-old" and adults performing sexual acts on children as young as six. Also, Hume was charged with distributing such images between December 4, 2022, and May 20 last year. It was previously reported that Hume, residing on Montgomerie Avenue, had been uploading "child sexual abuse images" via a Kik messaging account. Sentence was deferred until now for the purpose of preparing background reports.
Defence solicitor James Clarke told the court, "It is a long journey back for him. He has taken control of matters and presented for counselling, which he has paid for himself. A report from the counsellor highlights the progress made so far and suggests he is now positioned to avoid further offending. If a community-based order were to be implemented, it would reinforce what he has achieved from counselling."
Sheriff Murdoch Mactaggart emphasized the seriousness of such offences, stating, "Distribution of any images of this nature is very serious. That offence alone could justify custody. These crimes are gravely serious, and the report indicates you pose a risk to children. Typically, such offences result in custodial sentences, but in this case, I am persuaded not to impose immediate imprisonment. However, I must note this is a very narrow decision."
Hume was ordered to complete a three-year community payback order with supervision, and he is required to participate in the Moving Forward Making Change programme designed to prevent future sexual offending. Additionally, he will undertake 280 hours of unpaid work over nine months and is placed under a nine-month nighttime curfew through a restriction of liberty order.
He remains on the sex offenders register and has been subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Sheriff Mactaggart added, "If you do not complete the community payback order in any aspect, you risk being sentenced to custody, and it won’t be a matter of months but years. The report indicates that what is needed in your case is appropriate intervention to safeguard the public and children in the future. Protecting the public from future offending remains the highest priority."
The 39-year-old appeared again in court this week, having previously pleaded guilty to taking or permitting the taking of indecent images or pseudo-images of children between December 18, 2020, and April 9, 2023, from his former home address in Beith. Additionally, from December 18, 2020, until May 25, he possessed indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. A police investigation recovered a stash of 117 images from Hume’s iPhone.
Prosecutors described some of these images, including "a female baby of around one-year-old" and adults performing sexual acts on children as young as six. Also, Hume was charged with distributing such images between December 4, 2022, and May 20 last year. It was previously reported that Hume, residing on Montgomerie Avenue, had been uploading "child sexual abuse images" via a Kik messaging account. Sentence was deferred until now for the purpose of preparing background reports.
Defence solicitor James Clarke told the court, "It is a long journey back for him. He has taken control of matters and presented for counselling, which he has paid for himself. A report from the counsellor highlights the progress made so far and suggests he is now positioned to avoid further offending. If a community-based order were to be implemented, it would reinforce what he has achieved from counselling."
Sheriff Murdoch Mactaggart emphasized the seriousness of such offences, stating, "Distribution of any images of this nature is very serious. That offence alone could justify custody. These crimes are gravely serious, and the report indicates you pose a risk to children. Typically, such offences result in custodial sentences, but in this case, I am persuaded not to impose immediate imprisonment. However, I must note this is a very narrow decision."
Hume was ordered to complete a three-year community payback order with supervision, and he is required to participate in the Moving Forward Making Change programme designed to prevent future sexual offending. Additionally, he will undertake 280 hours of unpaid work over nine months and is placed under a nine-month nighttime curfew through a restriction of liberty order.
He remains on the sex offenders register and has been subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Sheriff Mactaggart added, "If you do not complete the community payback order in any aspect, you risk being sentenced to custody, and it won’t be a matter of months but years. The report indicates that what is needed in your case is appropriate intervention to safeguard the public and children in the future. Protecting the public from future offending remains the highest priority."