A former bank worker who admitted having indecent images of children on his computer was given a community-based disposal lasting three years at Perth Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
Peter Wilson, 39, of Kintillo Gardens, Bridge of Earn, was also placed on the sex offenders’ register after being found with 12 indecent images on his laptop computer at home.
Of the images, one was of the worst type, being in category A, with two in category B and nine in category C.
He was told it was “people like” him that make children suffer in the world of child abuse images.
Wilson’s solicitor said her client had been on internet chatrooms and someone had sent him indecent images which he downloaded and stored on his computer. She said this problem was soon “exacerbated” and, as a result, he self-referred for help including receiving counselling from a charity called Stop It Now.
She said he had been sacked from his job as a bank customer service assistant due to the charge he faced at court, but was appealing that decision.
The court had previously been told that police obtained a search warrant to probe Wilson’s house and officers seized a number of electronic items.
“Examination of these revealed images of children on a silver iMac belonging to the accused,” depute fiscal Charmaine Gilmartin said.
“A total of 12 images of children were found. Three were in un-allocated sections, meaning they had been deleted by the user.
“The remainder were found in a folder marked iLifeAssetManagment.
“They had been uploaded using a photostream application to the iCloud account of the accused.”
A medical report stated Wilson had the “propensity” to “engage” in sex chat rooms online and also to watch pornography.
He admitted having indecent images of children on a computer at his home address between October 26, 2015 and March 16 last year.
Sentencing Wilson, Sheriff Gillian Wade told him: “Its people like you who make children suffer. This is a very serious offence.
“Although it is a relatively small number of images, the reality is that many children suffer when these images are made.”
Wilson was put on a three-year community payback order under the supervision of the social work department and will also have to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work in the community.
In addition, he was placed on the sex offenders’ register for three years.
