A man who tried to blame his paedophile identical brother for downloading child abuse images has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register after jurors rejected the excuse.
Robert Drummond was found guilty despite trying to pin the crime on Ryan Drummond, who was convicted of similar offences in January.
After two days of evidence the jury of three men and 12 women found him unanimously guilty of possessing the vile images.
At Dunfermline Sheriff Court, they also found him guilty by majority of downloading the abuse material.
The brothers had blamed each other for downloading abuse images during their separate court proceedings.
Both are now on the Sex Offenders Register.
Trial evidence
The trial heard two phones and a computer were seized during a raid on Drummond’s home in Kelty on December 4 2020.
Investigators found them riddled with child abuse images, which had been downloaded.
The scores of illegal pictures included some at the highest end of the scale.
Robert Drummond tried to blame his paedophile brother, who was picked up by police the month before.
However, the court heard images appeared to have been accessed in the six days after Ryan Drummond’s arrest but Robert Drummond said in evidence he had not spoken to his sibling since the day he was arrested.
He said he was unable to explain the anomaly.
Placed on Register immediately
Following the verdict, Drummond’s solicitor Brian Black said his client maintains his innocence and asked that he be freed on bail.
He said: “He has no previous convictions and has cooperated throughout.
“He continues to deny the charges of which he has been found guilty.”
Sheriff Charles Macnair deferred sentence and bailed Drummond but warned him he could be imprisoned when he returns to court in March.
He said: “In light of the jury’s verdict, sentence will be adjourned for a criminal justice social work report and a restriction of liberty assessment.
“Your bail will be continued but that’s not an indication of what will happen when you come for sentence.”
He immediately placed Drummond on the Sex Offenders Register.
He continued consideration on whether to confiscate the 37-year-old’s two mobile phones and his custom-built water-cooled computer.
Drummond, of Keltyhill Avenue, Kelty, will be sentenced in the new year.
Brother’s offences
At the beginning of the trial, jurors were told Drummond’s brother, Ryan, was arrested on November 9 2020.
The court heard his home had been searched on October 30 2020 and a laptop was seized, which was found to contain indecent videos of children.
During a police interview Ryan Drummond denied any knowledge of material and claimed his brother, Robert – the current accused – had access to the laptop.
However, Ryan Drummond eventually pled guilty to downloading indecent photos of children, between June 16 and October 27 2020.
He was placed on a two-year-supervision order, with conditions that he inform officers of internet-capable devices, and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for the same period.
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