PAUL HARDMAN FROM HALKIRK AND WATTEN CAUGHT WITH ILLEGAL CHILD IMAGES IN SHOCKING CASE
| Red Rose Database
Halkirk Child Abuser Online Groomer
A man residing in Halkirk and now living in Watten was found to be in possession of indecent images of children on his computer, a court in Wick heard. The case revealed that although Paul Hardman, aged 36, had taken steps to delete the illicit material, the images still remained on his hard drives, leading to serious legal consequences.
The incident took place at Hardman's residence, known as The Bungalow, located at Netherside Farm in Halkirk. The offences occurred over a period spanning from April 16 to December 17 in the year 2020. Police officers executed a search warrant at his address and recovered two hard drives containing the illegal images.
During an earlier court hearing in December, Hardman pleaded guilty to possessing the indecent images. The photographs depicted children aged between five and twelve years old, as well as those between ten and fifteen years old. Despite his efforts to delete the files, forensic analysis confirmed that the images persisted on his hard drives, which left him vulnerable to the charges brought against him.
In a surprising turn during the sentencing hearing, Sheriff David Sutherland reviewed a background report that shed light on the case. The sheriff remarked, “You should have told the authorities about this at the time,” highlighting the fact that Hardman had received the images but failed to report them. The sheriff described the case as “somewhat unusual,” emphasizing that the images had been received and subsequently deleted, yet remained stored on his computer.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald, representing Hardman, explained that her client was a first-time offender who accepted responsibility for the images, which had inadvertently ended up on his computer. She also noted that the possession of these images had resulted in Hardman losing his employment. MacDonald urged the sheriff to consider the recommendations outlined in the background report.
As part of his sentence, Hardman was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community service and will be subject to supervision. Additionally, he has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register, requiring him to provide police with details of his computer and mobile phone. These devices will be available for inspection by authorities as needed. The court also ordered the two hard drives to be forfeited and destroyed.
Hardman’s case underscores the serious legal repercussions of possessing and attempting to conceal illegal images of children, and it highlights the importance of reporting such material to authorities immediately.
The incident took place at Hardman's residence, known as The Bungalow, located at Netherside Farm in Halkirk. The offences occurred over a period spanning from April 16 to December 17 in the year 2020. Police officers executed a search warrant at his address and recovered two hard drives containing the illegal images.
During an earlier court hearing in December, Hardman pleaded guilty to possessing the indecent images. The photographs depicted children aged between five and twelve years old, as well as those between ten and fifteen years old. Despite his efforts to delete the files, forensic analysis confirmed that the images persisted on his hard drives, which left him vulnerable to the charges brought against him.
In a surprising turn during the sentencing hearing, Sheriff David Sutherland reviewed a background report that shed light on the case. The sheriff remarked, “You should have told the authorities about this at the time,” highlighting the fact that Hardman had received the images but failed to report them. The sheriff described the case as “somewhat unusual,” emphasizing that the images had been received and subsequently deleted, yet remained stored on his computer.
Solicitor Fiona MacDonald, representing Hardman, explained that her client was a first-time offender who accepted responsibility for the images, which had inadvertently ended up on his computer. She also noted that the possession of these images had resulted in Hardman losing his employment. MacDonald urged the sheriff to consider the recommendations outlined in the background report.
As part of his sentence, Hardman was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community service and will be subject to supervision. Additionally, he has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register, requiring him to provide police with details of his computer and mobile phone. These devices will be available for inspection by authorities as needed. The court also ordered the two hard drives to be forfeited and destroyed.
Hardman’s case underscores the serious legal repercussions of possessing and attempting to conceal illegal images of children, and it highlights the importance of reporting such material to authorities immediately.