IAN KING FROM BLACKFORD CAUGHT WITH HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AND LARGE CANNABIS HAUL IN PERTHSHIRE

In February 2019, Ian King, a resident of Blackford, was sentenced to a two-year prison term after being found in possession of an extensive collection of child abuse images and videos, alongside a significant cannabis cultivation operation. The court proceedings revealed that police, acting on credible intelligence, executed a search warrant at his residence located at Thistledome, Moray Street, Blackford. During the raid, officers uncovered nearly 20,000 disturbing photographs and close to 1,800 videos depicting child abuse, a discovery that shocked the community and highlighted the severity of the case.

King, aged 61 at the time, was so traumatised by the police intervention that he was hospitalized for over a month to recover from what was described as an acute stress reaction. As part of the legal process, his name was also entered into the sex offenders’ register for a period of five years, reflecting the gravity of his offences.

Police officers, armed with search warrants, also uncovered a cannabis farm within the premises. The operation yielded approximately 450 grams of cannabis, with an estimated street value approaching £7,000. The seizure included four cannabis plants, along with various paraphernalia such as grow lights, plant pots, fans, and other cultivation equipment. The authorities confirmed that the cannabis was likely intended for personal use, although its market value suggested potential for black market sales.

During the search, law enforcement seized multiple electronic devices, including a laptop, a hard drive, several memory sticks, a computer tower, and an external hard drive cable. An examination of these devices by cybercrime specialists revealed a disturbing collection of images, with 2,302 classified as Category A, indicating the most depraved content. Additional images fell into Categories B and C, with thousands of other indecent images also discovered. The videos found were similarly categorized, with 675 in Category A, 990 in Category B, and 121 in Category C.

Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie informed the court that police had received specific intelligence suggesting the presence of indecent images of children at King’s residence. The police executed the search on the morning of January 6, and upon being informed of the warrant, King appeared visibly upset. He initially claimed that the plants upstairs were for personal use, describing them as “some plant,” and expressed distress over the search.

Items removed from the property included a tent, four cannabis plants, and boxes of dried cannabis. The search was temporarily halted, and a subsequent warrant was obtained to continue the investigation. Further searches uncovered additional boxes containing cannabis and related paraphernalia, including plant food, lights, and fans, spread across other bedrooms in the house.

King was detained around 9:30 a.m. that morning and taken to Perth Police Headquarters, where standard procedures were followed. The cybercrime team’s analysis confirmed the presence of a large quantity of indecent images and videos, with the most depraved content classified as Category A. The total amount of cannabis recovered was approximately 462 grams, which officers indicated could have been sold on the black market for between £4,630 and £6,945.

Solicitor David Holmes stated that his client was “so shocked” upon arrest that he was admitted to hospital suffering from an “acute stress reaction,” and he was subsequently detained for observation for six weeks, including time spent at Carseview in Dundee. Holmes also noted that King suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which affects his breathing, and that he had to cease working in 2016 due to health issues.

The court, presided over by Sheriff William Wood, ordered a Community Justice Social Work report and an assessment by the Tay Project, which specializes in rehabilitating sex offenders. The duration of King’s inclusion on the sex offenders’ register was to be decided in the following month. The Crown’s motion to forfeit the drugs, equipment, images, and videos was continued until January 30, allowing further legal proceedings to be finalized.