Dunbar man Liam Nolan jailed for paying boy in Ukraine to film sex acts

A Dunbar man who sent payments to a child in Ukraine in exchange for the boy performing sex acts over a video link has been handed an extended prison sentence. Liam Nolan, 35, sent the vulnerable 14-year-old child numerous cash payments via PayPal after persuading him to strip naked and carry out solo sex acts. Nolan, 35, sent the victim sexual messages and requests after making contact with his family on the Telegram app over a two-week period in October 2023. Nolan was caught when police raided his flat on the town’s Castle Street two months later in connection with him downloading indecent images of children. Nolan was found to be in possession of explicit video footage of the child in Ukraine and later told officers he was sending the cash to the boy because he wanted to “help the family out”. Nolan was arrested and charged, and appeared from custody at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in May, where he pleaded guilty to intentionally sending sexual communication and possessing indecent images, all between October 15 and November 24, 2023. He returned to the city centre court last Tuesday, where Sheriff Fiona Sharp sentenced him to a custodial term of 22 months and 15 days, backdated to May 22 this year. The sheriff also imposed a 24-month supervised release order, issued a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed him on the sex offenders' register for life. Police carried out a search of Nolan’s flat after receiving information he had been accessing child abuse images in December 2023. Two mobile phones containing pictures and videos of young boys engaging in sexual activity, as well as video footage of the child victim in Ukraine, were found. The court heard Nolen initially made contact online with the boy’s adult sister but then began exchanging messages with the 14-year-old boy. Officers discovered chat logs on Telegram between Nolan and the child during October 2023, including evidence of cash payments to the family in Ukraine for images and videos of the boy undressing and performing solo sex acts. The court also heard the mobile phones contained pictures and videos of male victims aged 12-14 engaging in sexual activity.