STEVEN PERRIE FROM FORFAR SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS FOR CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL IN EDINBURGH AND ABERDEEN

A man with a disturbing history related to child abuse images has been handed a lengthy prison sentence following his latest conviction. Steven Perrie, aged 46 and hailing from Forfar, was sentenced to eight years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to two serious charges involving indecent images and videos depicting children. This case marks his third encounter with the law concerning such offences, highlighting a troubling pattern of behavior.

His criminal history is extensive. Perrie was initially imprisoned in 2004 after authorities uncovered a staggering collection of child abuse material, which included approximately 400,000 images and 16,000 video clips. Despite the severity of this discovery, he was released early from that sentence. The following year, in 2005, he was sentenced again to 36 months for similar offences, indicating a persistent engagement with illegal material of this nature.

During the recent proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh, Judge Lord Uist expressed his strong disapproval of Perrie’s actions. He stated, “These sentences clearly had no deterrent effect on you. It seems you are an incorrigible user of child pornography.” The court was informed that some of the material Perrie possessed was at the most extreme end of the scale, sourced from various regions across the globe, including Europe, Asia, and the Americas. This international aspect of his collection underscored the severity and depravity of his offences.

It was also revealed that Perrie was on the sex offenders register for life, a designation that reflects the gravity of his crimes. His girlfriend played a role in bringing his illegal activities to light when she discovered a cache of indecent images stored in his possession, prompting police intervention. Perrie was detained in Ardrossan, Ayrshire, in May of the previous year. He later admitted to the offences during a court hearing held in Aberdeen in March.

Throughout the case, Perrie’s legal representation, led by solicitor Susan Duff, argued that he posed a medium risk of harm, citing a psychiatric assessment. She contended that he should not be subjected to a lifelong restriction order, suggesting that his risk level was not as high as the prosecution claimed. However, Lord Uist was unequivocal in his judgment, describing the images as “disgusting and repulsive.” He emphasized that, given Perrie’s prior convictions and the extreme nature of the material he possessed, a severe sentence was justified both as a punishment and as a deterrent to others who might consider similar illegal activities.