OFFENDER AVOIDS JAIL AFTER BEING FOUND WITH NEARLY 80,000 IMAGES FROM HIDDEN CAMERA
A convicted sex offender, Steven McCombie, has narrowly avoided jail despite being caught with a disturbing collection of nearly 80,000 images and videos obtained using a hidden camera.Investigations revealed that McCombie possessed a significant amount of indecent images of children, including hoards of vile material and extreme pornography featuring humans and dogs.
The police found 86 Category A still images, 162 Category B, and 289 Category C images, along with 409 Category A videos and numerous lesser categories, totaling 1,231 indecent images and videos of children.
The videos had a combined runtime of almost nine and a half hours.
Additionally, on his devices, officers discovered 867 images and 336 videos of extreme pornography, including 77,018 images and 860 videos obtained from the hidden camera.
He admitted to taking, allowing to be taken, or creating indecent images of children between June and October 2020, along with possessing extreme pornography and voyeurism from the use of the hidden camera over nearly two years.
Despite the seriousness of his offenses, the court sentenced McCombie to a community-based disposal, supervised for three years, and he was ordered to complete the 'Moving Forward, Making Changes' program.
He received 150 hours of unpaid work, a 10-month curfew, and was placed under notification requirements for three years.
The sheriff noted that McCombie's life had 'crumbled around him' following the offenses, and expressed her concern over the case but emphasized his full-time employment would continue.
She also highlighted that her initial thought was for a custodial sentence but opted for a program-based order due to the nature of his rehabilitation prospects.
