March 2021 Paedophile police officer was caught with child abuse images at home he shared with wife and kids A police officer was outed as a paedophile after being caught hoarding a sickening haul of child abuse images at the home he shared with his wife and children. Traffic cop Alan Mitchell was found to have kept the vile files of abuse for more than four years at the family’s detached cottage. Mitchell lost his job, had to leave the family home, is banned from seeing his children and will now lose the property, after holding his hands up to his sordid offence at Ayr Sheriff Court. The 47-year-old, who resigned from the force in disgrace, pleaded guilty during a hearing last month. He had admitted breaking Section 52A(1) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 by being in possession of “indecent photographs or pseudo photographs of children.” He pleaded guilty to having the files between September 17, 2015, and October 3, 2019 at the family home in Alloway – which has now been put up for sale When Mitchell returned to the dock on Thursday to be sentenced, defence solicitor Ian Gillies explained: “He is living with his parents. “There’s been a great deal of social work involvement with the family. “Social work hope, eventually, for Mr Mitchell to have contact with his children under supervision Sheriff Scott Pattison told Mitchell he was being spared prison “by the slimmest of margins, given the seriousness of the offence.” He said: “I’m willing to deal with this matter by a number of non-custodial options.” He placed Mitchell on a three-year-long Community Payback Order, ordering him to be supervised by social workers for that length of time. He also ordered him to attend the Moving Forward: Making Changes programme, which helps sex offenders change their ways, over the same period of time. He told Mitchell he is only allowed to own one electronic device capable of accessing the internet, and that he must make it available to the authorities to monitor his activities. And he is only allowed to move to a new home if it has been risk assessed as being suitable. He was also banned from having any contact with anyone under the age of 18, unless it is signed off by his social worker, and was given 18 months to complete 300 hours unpaid work. The judge said he deemed a “fairly extensive Restriction of Liberty Order as a punishment element” ordering Mitchell to be electronically tagged and have to remain within his parents’ home in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, between 7pm and 7am every day for 10 months. He was also told he will be placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for five years and has to return to court later this year for a progress review.