A pervert whose viewing of child abuse images was so extensive that sex offender rehabilitation services gave up on him has been jailed for a second time.
Kennneth Stalker, of Arbroath, was today jailed for 27 months after already having served a sentence for downloading 25,000 sick images in 2013.
His latest stash was discovered when police monitoring him in the community under his sex offender registration found some of the images stored on his phone.
They then took apart his computer and discovered he had hidden a USB drive in the casing of his computer’s hard drive in a bid to conceal his actions.
He split with his girlfriend as a result of being caught – and when he got out of prison she gave him back his belongings that remained in her property, including a USB stick.
Stalker then pluged it into his computer and discovered it contained thousands of indecent images of children.
It is understood the USB device had not been found by police investigating his earlier offence and had lain unnoticed amongst his property at his ex-partner’s home until he got out of prison.
Stalker’s lawyer said that “triggered” him to go on to download more on to his mobile phone.
In total there were 3941 indecent images.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard that the Tay Project, whose job it is to help rehabilitate sex offenders, were “reluctant” to work with the 39-year-old, having already worked with him “extensively”.
Sentencing him, Sheriff Drummond said: “These are serious matters and they are all the more serious because of your analogous convictions.
“It seems from the narrative that I’ve been given that you became more sophisticated in terms of hiding your actions.
“The Tay project have said they are reluctant to work with you, after having worked with you extensively.
“My view is that these charges are so serious in light of your previous offences that custody is the only option.”
Stalker, of Lordburn, pleaded guilty on indictment to taking or making indecent images of children and possessing indecent images of children between June 1 2017 and October 5 2017.
He further admitted attempting to defeat the ends of justice on June 1 2017.
In mitigation, defence solicitor Ian Myles said his client finally accepted that he had an “interest” in children, whereas he had not done so previously.
In 2013 Stalker was jailed for 16 months and placed on a three-year supervised release order after police found 25,000 indecent images on his computers.
The court heard he downloaded them over the period of two years to “give him the thrill his life was lacking”.
