A Fife man attempted suicide as police searched his home for sick child abuse images and videos.
Scott Menzies, 30, was caught with the stash of vile content, which showed children, aged between infants and 16 years old, engaged in extreme sexual activity.
Procurator fiscal depute Laura McManus told Dunfermline Sheriff Court police were tipped off about indecent images of children linked to the internet at Menzies’ Cowdenbeath home.
Officers searched his address on the morning of April 29 last year, when Menzies was home alone.
His partner later arrived, with police still there.
Menzies provided police with passwords for his devices but denied seeing indecent images.
A mobile phone and tablet device were examined.
The fiscal depute said: “While the initial examination was carried out, the accused said to his partner ‘I’m sorry’ and attempted suicide.”
Police intervened and he told them he had indecent images and the only way to deal with it was by ending his life.
Posed as teenage girl to send images
Menzies was taken to Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.
He claimed he had been sent images by others with whom he had been in contact and wanted to “out them as sexual offenders”.
Ms McManus said the tablet device contained 24 indecent images and 107 videos – 99 of which were the most graphic kind – of children.
The mobile phone contained 123 indecent images of children, aged between two and 16.
The court heard the sexual content of the images and videos was extreme.
The fiscal depute said Menzies, while posing as a teenage girl, had also used a mobile phone to send indecent images to another social media user, who purported to be a 16-year-old female.
Menzies pled guilty to distributing or showing indecent photos of children at his home in Cowdenbeath’s Broad Street in January 2018.
He also admitted taking or permitting to be taken or making indecent photos of children, between December 2017 and April 2021.
Interest started with hunter groups
Defence lawyer Alan Davie said his client initially developed an interest in paedophile hunter groups.
Through engaging on the community’s websites, images and videos became available and he found himself “deeper into a mire of obtaining this material”.
Mr Davie said Menzies suffered from depression and this became an outlet for him.
The solicitor added: “It’s something he completely regrets and he has a notable level of shame in relation to that.”
Sheriff Charles Macnair adjourned sentence until September 7 for the production of background reports and bail was continued.
Menzies was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
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