ABERDEEN MAN CAUGHT WITH 1,400 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES FACES COURT
A man who stored over 1,400 indecent images of children, some as young as two, has appeared in court.When police arrived at his home and explained their purpose, Johannes Hengelaar, aged 33, admitted to being the person responsible by saying, “I’m the one.”According to Deputy Fiscal Colin Neilson, police received information on December 11, 2018, indicating that a device connected to Hengelaar's IP address, which matched his address on South Mount Street, contained indecent images of children available for sharing.
On December 18, officers executed a search warrant at Hengelaar’s home early in the morning.
Hengelaar, present with his partner, allowed officers entry and provided his mobile phone for examination.
A subsequent search uncovered a hard drive from his bedroom, which was found to contain 1,403 indecent pictures of children aged between two and 15 years.The images were categorized into three levels of severity: 339 in category A (most serious), 309 in category B, and 755 in category C.
Additionally, three images and a lengthy video of about an hour and 25 minutes, all involving girls aged between 12 and 14, were downloaded between July 14, 2018, and November 16, 2018.
The video was downloaded on August 29, 2018.Hengelaar pleaded guilty to taking, allowing to be taken, or making indecent photographs or pseudo-photos of children.
His defense requested a deferment of sentencing to prepare a background report, emphasizing that Hengelaar has accepted his guilt.
The court, presided over by Sheriff Andrew Miller, agreed and deferred sentencing until August to consider the report.
Hengelaar was also ordered to comply with the notification requirements under the Sexual Offences Act, with the duration to be decided at sentencing.
Furthermore, a Crown motion requesting the forfeiture of the hard drive and mobile phone was approved.A spokesperson for NSPCC Scotland responded to the conviction, highlighting the ongoing fight against the illegal industry of child abuse images and emphasizing that each photo signifies real children experiencing severe abuse.
They also called for internet companies to do more to prevent such material from appearing online.
