RYAN CULLEN OF LINNVALE RECEIVES ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY WORK FOLLOWING BREACH IN DUMBARTON

A former youth football child protection officer who downloaded child abuse images has been ordered to perform additional unpaid work in the community. Ryan Cullen, of Greenwood Quadrant in Linnvale, was spared prison in 2019 after admitting to two charges related to creating and possessing indecent images of children between June 2015 and November 2018. He was sentenced to a three-year community payback order (CPO) with supervision by social workers and mandated to complete 250 hours of unpaid community work. Cullen was also placed on the sex offenders register for three years—the same period during which he accessed abusive pictures and videos.

However, on August 27, Dumbarton Sheriff Court was informed that Cullen, now 27, had breached the conditions of his community-based sentence by taking on work without notifying his supervising officers. Defence solicitor Brian McGuire explained that his client was the last person expected to violate his conditions. He stated, "His mother asked him to help out with some work as a favour. He was paid, but returned the cash. He has always been a worker and saw this as a way to help; he didn’t think he was doing anything wrong."

McGuire also mentioned, "The anxiety caused by this has been evident, and his mother lost her employment likely due to the negative publicity."

The solicitor appealed to Sheriff William Gallacher not to revoke Cullen's existing CPO or to impose a jail sentence. The sheriff acknowledged this: "I accept what I hear. It ought not to have happened. The idea that anyone subject to an order cannot contribute positively to the community is wrong, and all court orders aim to reintegrate people safely into society."

While allowing the CPO to continue, Sheriff Gallacher added 75 extra hours of unpaid work, to be completed within six months. Before engaging in any paid or voluntary work, Cullen is required to discuss it with his supervising officer. The sheriff concluded, "I don't expect to see you here again."

This case was previously highlighted in 2019 when the Post reported that the Scottish Youth Football Association (SYFA) was investigating Cullen's role within the Dunbartonshire Youth Football Development League (DYFDL).