A child abuser whose hidden victim was found after police raided his home looking for child abuse images – and found online sex chats in which he admitted the attack – has dodged a jail term.
Douglas Latto’s victim had kept quiet for more than five years and might never have revealed the incident if officers had not found chat logs on the 25-year-old’s computer.
Latto, 25, of Park Avenue, Dundee, pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children between January 26 2010 and November 12 2016 and using lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour towards a boy aged nine or 10 at an address in north-east Fife between January 9 2010 and July 10 2011.
Police raided his home near Dundee’s Baxter Park last November on suspicion that he was in possession of indecent images of children.
Officers found exactly that – as well as an online confession by Latto of a sex act committed towards the boy.
Depute fiscal Charmaine Gilmartin told Dundee Sheriff Court around 300 indecent images – 100 at each level of the three-tier scale used to assess such pictures – were found on Latto’s computer.
She said: “In the course of the investigation they came across chat logs in which he stated he had abused the complainer in this charge.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael imposed a community payback order with three years supervision, 120 hours unpaid work and a requirement to take part in a sex offenders’ group work programme. He also imposed conditions around Latto’s use of the internet and contact with children.
