SCHOOLBOY CAUGHT WITH VILE CHILD ABUSE CONTENT IN INVERNESS
An Inverness schoolboy named Struan Nicol, aged 19, has been involved in serious online criminal activity involving the downloading and collection of child abuse images and videos for over three years before being apprehended by police.Authorities executed a raid on his residence on Friar’s Street, where they discovered almost 90 distressing files, including a highly disturbing video featuring a six-month-old baby, classified as Category A content, which is deemed the most severe.
Nicol first began accumulating this illicit material around the age of 14, the court was informed.He admitted guilt during court proceedings when initially appearing before Sheriff Sara Matheson, who deferred sentencing to allow for a background report.
Charges he pleaded guilty to include taking, permitting to be taken, or making indecent images of children, along with downloading and uploading such material between November 19, 2018, and January 17, 2022.
He also admitted to breaching bail conditions by downloading and subsequently deleting Snapchat, which could erase his online history.Detailed investigations linked the IP address used to access child abuse material directly with Nicol’s home address, with evidence showing activity in January 2019 involving a video of an approximately six-month-old infant.
The content was classified as Category A, indicating the worst of its kind, with additional uploads depicting children aged between four and eight years old.
Authorities traced the activity to Nicol’s devices, which on examination held 70 indecent images and 18 videos, with content categorized as Category A, B, and C, of escalating severity.Following his arrest and formal caution, Nicol was released on bail under strict conditions, including that he should avoid using websites or apps where history could be deleted.
However, suspicion persisted, and subsequent checks led to his arrest for breaching bail.
During police questioning, Nicol admitted, “I was bored and downloaded Snapchat and started chatting to randoms,” later deleting the app.In sentencing, Nicol was not jailed but received 300 hours of unpaid work, restrictions on internet use, supervision by social workers, and a three-year registration on the sex offenders register.
