JAY MARSHALL FROM KINGSKETTLE SENTENCED AFTER CHILD ABUSE VIDEO DISCOVERY IN FIFE

A man from Kingskettle, identified as Jay Marshall, has been found guilty of possessing nearly four hours of highly disturbing child abuse videos and images. The case, which was heard at Dundee Sheriff Court, resulted in Marshall being placed under strict supervision and added to the Sex Offenders Register for a period of three years.

Marshall, aged 25, had previously admitted to the authorities that he possessed and either took or created indecent photographs of children at his residence in the Fife village of Kingskettle. The police investigation uncovered a significant amount of illicit material stored on his device, which was seized during a warrant executed at his home at approximately 8:30 in the morning.

During the search, Marshall handed over his Huawei mobile phone, which contained a disturbing collection of images and videos. Police found a total of 220 indecent images of children on the device, of which 198 were unique photographs. Among these, 54 images were classified as depicting the most severe forms of abuse, indicating the gravity of the material involved. An additional 110 images fell into Category B, considered serious but less extreme, while 56 were categorized as Category C, representing less severe content.

In addition to the images, authorities discovered 93 video files. When played consecutively, these videos would run for nearly four hours—specifically, three hours, 51 minutes, and 16 seconds. Of these videos, 73 were rated as Category A by police, signifying the most explicit and vulgar abuse. The remaining videos included 16 classified as Category B and four as Category C, further emphasizing the disturbing nature of the content Marshall possessed.

In light of the evidence, Marshall, who now resides on Cowal Crescent in Glenrothes, was not sentenced to immediate imprisonment. Instead, Sheriff Alistair Carmichael ordered that he be placed under supervision for three years. As part of the conditions, Marshall must adhere to a series of strict conduct requirements, including participating in the 'Moving Forward: Making Changes' programme—a behavioural course aimed at providing treatment for men who commit sexual offences.

Furthermore, the sheriff mandated that Marshall only live in approved accommodation and prohibited him from having any contact with children under the age of 16. He is also barred from accessing the internet without prior approval from a supervising officer. Marshall is required to make any devices capable of storing photos or videos available for inspection upon request and must not delete his internet browsing history.

Sheriff Carmichael emphasized the seriousness of the offence, stating, “This was a serious offence, as I’m sure you know. It goes into the custody zone. I have to think about a custodial sentence.” However, after reviewing a detailed report, the sheriff expressed confidence that an alternative to custody was appropriate in this case, given the circumstances and the measures imposed.