KELSO MAN FOUND WITH 1,500 PICTURES AND VIDEOS OF CHILDREN
A KELSO man found with more than 1,500 indecent photos and videos of children will be sentenced next month at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.Thirty-six-year-old Thomas Moriarty pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing and downloading the pornographic material between March and October 2023.
He also admitted a third charge of sending obscene messages to another person.
The court was told police visited his home in Kelso, with access granted by his partner.
A mobile phone containing explicit photos of males and females aged between one and 16 engaged in sexual activity was recovered.
Officers also seized another phone from Moriarty at his work, which contained similar material.
While en route to Hawick Police Station, Moriarty asked for his phone back, but officers said it needed to be examined.
Moriarty then said, "I will be honest, there is stuff." Examination revealed both phones had social media applications like Telegram, Snapchat, Kik, and WhatsApp signed in.
From the first phone alone, police found 780 indecent images and 401 videos of children.
The second phone contained 418 indecent images and 32 videos.
Moriarty's search history showed repeated attempts to access child sexual abuse material.
He also communicated indecently with an anonymous person on Telegram, sending explicit photos of an underage girl.
Sheriff Peter Paterson noted the case had a significant sexual element and warned that the court would view this seriously.
Sentencing was deferred until June 15 for background reports.
