FIFE NURSE MARK REBUSTES CLAIMS FILIPINO CULTURE LED TO INDECENT IMAGES IN DUNDEE

A nurse from Fife, Mark Rebustes, blamed Filipino "culture" for a video showing him indecently touching a young child. Rebustes was found with numerous images and files depicting child abuse on a laptop imported from the Philippines. During his trial at Dundee Sheriff Court, the 40-year-old argued that the inappropriate video was "normal" in his home country.

A jury rejected his explanation and convicted him, by a majority verdict, of taking or allowing the creation of indecent images of children at his home in Cupar. He was also unanimously found guilty of possessing such indecent images.

The court heard that the laptop contained 29 accessible and 14 inaccessible files involving children aged between two and four. Among these, two accessible videos were rated as Category B, while most images were classified as Category C, the lowest rating, with the earliest dating back to July 31, 2019.

Rebustes claimed he transferred multiple files, including indecent images, onto his laptop before arriving in Scotland. He argued that making children appear naked was common in the Philippines due to the hot climate and claimed this was part of his upbringing. He stated, "This is how our culture is. Unfortunately, it’s seen as indecent but I don’t mean any harm."

He testified that he did not believe the material was sexually abusive, saying, "In Scottish eyes it will be but in the Philippines eyes, no." He also emphasized, “This is a common thing in the Philippines. I can’t say that enough,” and explicitly denied being a paedophile, stating: “Absolutely not. I despise people like that.” When asked if he had a sexual attraction to toddlers, he responded, “No,” despite being convicted of offenses committed between July 31, 2019, and May 24, 2023.

After his conviction, a motion was made to revoke his bail due to concerns he might flee the country. However, Rebustes surrendered his passport to prevent this and was ordered not to apply for a new one. He was also required to sign in at Dundee police station every Friday and has been placed on an interim sex-offenders register.

Judge Tim Niven-Smith postponed sentencing until next month to allow for a social work report, noting that surrendering his passport reduced the risk of flight. Rebustes was instructed to comply with bail conditions and warned that failure to do so could result in serious consequences.