JOHN MYLES FROM FORFAR SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGE CRIMES IN DUNDEE

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Forfar and the wider Dundee area, John Myles, aged 51, has been sentenced to prison after admitting to a series of heinous crimes involving the creation and possession of indecent images of children. The case came to light following a police raid on his residence in Forfar, which was prompted by a tip-off from an anonymous source. During the raid, law enforcement officials uncovered a staggering collection of over 4,000 indecent images depicting children, along with 17 videos that contained explicit child abuse material.

Among these images, investigators found that 353 had been deliberately edited using photo editing software. The modifications included the insertion of Myles’s own head and the faces of children known to him, who resided near his home in Forfar, onto the bodies of adults and children engaged in sexual acts. This manipulation was intended to create a disturbing illusion that Myles himself was involved in the abuse, a fact that prosecutors highlighted during the court proceedings.

During a hearing at Dundee Sheriff Court, fiscal depute Nicola Gillespie detailed the extent of Myles’s actions, stating, “The accused has used photo editing software and has cropped, cut and pasted images of himself in sexual positions with children. Some have been edited to show the face of children assessed to be known to the accused.”

John Myles, who resides on Caledonian Way in the Whitehills area of Forfar, pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the creation, possession, and distribution of indecent images of children. The offences spanned from November 2013 to July 2018, and included taking or permitting the taking of such images at his residence in Mount Feredith, Forfar.

In court, his solicitor, Ian Myles, expressed remorse on behalf of his client, emphasizing that John Myles was “ashamed” of his actions. The solicitor also noted that Myles believed he had changed and that his actions were driven by fantasies rather than physical abuse. “He accepts that there is a breach of trust here as well. These were all fantasies, there was nothing physical. He is fully aware of the serious nature of the offences and that these are not victimless crimes. He is extremely regrettable and ashamed,” the solicitor stated.

Before sentencing, Sheriff Alastair Brown addressed the court, highlighting the severity of the crimes. “In the great majority of cases involving making and possessing images, the offender has simply downloaded photographs and videos from the internet, which is already serious because it involves real harm to a child. However, you have gone far beyond that. You manipulated the images to depict yourself as the abuser and to suggest that the children involved were known to you. The fantasies you described are dreadfully depraved,” the sheriff remarked.

As a result of his convictions, John Myles was sentenced to 18 months in prison. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, a measure designed to monitor and prevent further offending. The case underscores the disturbing extent to which some individuals go to indulge in and manipulate child abuse material, and it serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat such heinous crimes.