December 2013
Man with over 20,000 child abuse images is spared jail
A CUMINESTOWN man caught with more than 20,000 obscene pictures of children walked free from Peterhead Sheriff Court last week.
Christopher Horne was spared a jail sentence by Sheriff Lorna Drummond, who imposed a three-year supervision order and ordered the 22-year-old, who has been placed on the sex offenders’ register, to carry out 300 hours of community work and take part in a sex offenders’ treatment programme.
Her decision has been criticised by a leading child abuse charity, which said jailing Horne would have sent a strong message to other offenders.
Police caught Horne, of 95 High Street, Cuminestown, with a vast horde of horrific pornography, featuring boys and girls as young as two at the higher end of the obscenity scale with some images depicting sex acts with cats, dogs and horses, on computers at his home.
He admitted taking or permitting the taking or making of indecent photographs of children between March, 2007, and May, 2012.
He also pleaded guilty to a second charge of having extreme pornographic images depicting sexual acts between people and live animals between March, 2011, and May, 2012.
Sentencing Horne, Sheriff Drummond said: “I take a very serious view of these matters, given that there were over 20,000 images of children found.
“The impact this type of offending has on young people is significant, and the court takes a very serious view of this – so much so that prison would usually be the only option.
“However, I’m not entirely convinced you would be able to address your offending behaviour in prison.”
Fiscal depute David Bernard told the court that police officers, acting on a tip-off, raided Horne’s then home at Watson Close, Turriff, on May 31, 2012.
When they later questioned Horne, they seized an iPod containing 12 videos of children between seven and eight and seven clips featuring bestiality.
Two laptop computers were taken from his home and 20,830 obscene images and 21 videos were buried on one machine’s hard drive, with a further 1,430 similar images and one video clip discovered on the other.
Horne’s agent, Leonard Burkinshaw, said: “It does appear that he was drawn into this and became fascinated with these images.
“He is now looking at this as an opportunity to get the help he needs.”
Sheriff Drummond’s ruling has since been questioned by Matt Forde, head of NSPCC Scotland, who said: “In cases of this kind, we must not forget the fact that behind these images are real children who have suffered horrific abuse.
“To possess and view this kind of illegal material feeds a vile trade that thrives on the sexual abuse of very young, vulnerable children.”
