A BORED employee in one of the most iconic buildings in the world of golf, the Royal and Ancient clubhouse, St Andrews, used one of its computers to download indecent images of girls.

This emerged at Cupar Sheriff Court yesterday when Kevin Tasker (26), of Tom Morris Drive, St Andrews, appeared in the dock.

He admitted that on October 16, 2005, at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, St Andrews, he was in possession of indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children.

He further admitted that he took, or permitted to be taken, indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children.

The court heard the accused had been working as a porter/barman at the clubhouse, and that he is also a retained fireman who has been suspended while the case is ongoing. He is currently working as a delivery driver.

Fiscal Jim Robertson said as a result of information received police had gone to the clubhouse in January 2006 and uplifted computers.

These had been examined in the computer crime unit, and it was discovered that images of girls aged between 10 and 15 had been accessed between 3pm and 3am through search terms relating to “teen model” websites.

Mr Robertson said these were paid-for sites, but prior to giving financial details people can be given a preview of images. The images involved were understood to have been obtained as a preview without payment. There were 58 on the computer.

Mr Robertson said they were all at the lowest category on the recognised scale; “erotic posing” with no sexual act.

Defence solicitor Douglas Williams said none of the pictures depicted children who were naked or undressed, and they had been assessed for their severity by the computer crime section.

Mr Williams said the accused had been bored in the “long hours” when he had nothing to do, and had come clean about his involvement. He put in search terms for teen models, and the images had been of children in underwear or swimsuits.

If the accused had put in other search terms such as “teen sex” he could have obtained a very different response from the computer, said Mr Williams.

The solicitor also claimed the area is very difficult, and some of these images would have been taken for portfolios by “someone somewhere” who would persuade people it could benefit them professionally.

Mr Williams said the computer was at the entrance to the Royal and Ancient clubhouse, and was used by porters and other staff.

The accused had been working at the club for between one and two years, and the offence had been “a complete one-off.”

There had been no subsequent computer access which showed the type of obsessive behaviour of some people involved in these actions, and Tasker’s “curiosity had got the better of him.”

Sheriff Evans deferred sentence until July 7, when background and community service reports will be available.

He told Tasker he would be placed on the sex offenders’ register, and that the period involved would be decided when he is sentenced.

A spokesperson for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club said yesterday that computer safety and security had been reviewed since the incident.

“We are pleased that the matter will be dealt with by the court,” said the spokesperson.