SAM HESKETH OF MID YELL SENTENCED IN LEIRY FOR POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY VIDEOS
In 2016, a man from Mid Yell, identified as Sam Hesketh of 6 Burra Park Road, was sentenced to just over a year in jail after admitting to possessing highly serious child pornography videos.Hesketh, aged 29, pleaded guilty to allowing indecent images of children to be taken between 3 May and 5 June 2015.
Lerwick Sheriff Court was told in April that police searched Hesketh's home following concerns raised by a national agency about his online activity.
The search uncovered a total of 14 videos depicting the abuse of young boys and girls, with several classified as category A, indicating the most severe level of content.
During a court hearing on Wednesday, defence lawyer Tommy Allan explained that Hesketh has been struggling with integrating into his community since the charges became known, as well as with mental health issues.
Allan noted that although the offences were extremely grave, the number of videos was relatively small compared to similar cases, which often involve thousands of images or clips.
He added that Hesketh recognizes his wrongdoing and is willing to address the underlying issues that led to his possession of the videos.
Sheriff Philip Mann acknowledged that while the videos were at the highest end of severity, the relatively low number of videos was a factor to consider.
However, he emphasized that viewing any such videos constitutes ongoing harm to the children and fuels a demand for more.
Sheriff Mann sentenced Hesketh to 13 months in prison and ordered that he be placed on licence for two years following his release.
The court also ordered the police to forfeit items seized during the search of Hesketh’s property.
