MICHAEL HARKINS SHOCKING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN STEPPS, LANARKSHIRE

A man from Stepps has been sentenced to prison after a series of disturbing crimes involving the distribution of explicit images and possession of indecent material. Michael Harkins, aged 38, was found to have engaged in the uploading of explicit photographs of two women to various pornographic websites, alongside possessing a significant collection of indecent images of children as young as three years old, stored across three laptops at his residence in Stepps, Lanarkshire.

During proceedings at Glasgow Sheriff Court, it was revealed that Harkins had a history of consensual exchanges of sexual images with one of the women from 2014. Over time, he uploaded a total of 52 images of her to a now-defunct website. A video capturing the two women engaged in sexual intercourse was also discovered, which had been viewed approximately 60,000 times. The first woman, distressed upon discovering the unauthorized sharing of her images, searched for her old username associated with Harkins, which led her to uncover additional explicit photographs of herself on another pornographic platform. She also performed a reverse image search, which confirmed the presence of further sexual images of her on a different site. Upon realizing this, she contacted Harkins’ family, resulting in the removal of the images. Subsequently, she blocked Harkins and reported the incident to the police.

In a separate case, a second woman had also exchanged consensual sexual images with Harkins. She was made aware of Harkins’ conduct towards the first woman through her, which prompted her to scrutinize Harkins’ mobile phone. She discovered that he had uploaded images to a pornographic website and to Reddit, a social media platform. When confronted, Harkins dismissed her concerns, stating he “didn’t want to get into it.” Further investigation revealed an explicit image of the second woman stored in Harkins’ email, which led her to a website. This discovery prompted her to report the matter to the authorities.

Following the reports, police executed a search of Harkins’ home in Stepps. The search uncovered a total of 239 indecent images and videos depicting children as young as three years old, spread across three laptops. The evidence was overwhelming, and Harkins was charged with possession of these indecent images between July 2008 and February 2024. He also admitted to disclosing intimate images of the first woman without her consent and to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner towards the second woman.

Harkins pleaded guilty to all charges, and the court deferred sentencing pending background reports. He was remanded in custody and placed on the sex offenders register in the meantime. The case highlights the serious nature of his crimes and the impact on the victims involved, with authorities emphasizing the importance of addressing such offenses with strict legal action.