LANARKSHIRE MAN WHO DOWNLOADED 2000 CHILD ABUSE IMAGES DODGES PRISON
A Lanarkshire man who downloaded more than 2000 vile child abuse images has avoided a prison sentence after a sheriff said he has more chance of rehabilitation in the community.Alexander Lochrie, 26, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted downloading indecent images of children at his Blantyre home.
Police officers detained him in November 2024 but forensic analysis of his phone and laptop showed he'd been accessing images since the age of 12, reports Lanarkshire Live.
Lochrie also admitted sharing 22 child abuse pictures and videos between April and May 2024.
Defence lawyer Andy Iles said "instability" in Lochrie's childhood was a factor in his offending behaviour.
Sheriff Kevin McCallum said every image represented "a crime against a child" and the court had to express society's "disgust" at his behaviour.
Sharing material was "pernicious" and assisted the criminals behind child sexual exploitation to "continue with this appalling behaviour".
The sheriff added: "I find this an anxious case.
The custodial threshold has been met but if I imposed custody it would inevitably be a short-term sentence and the availability of rehabilitation programmes is virtually nil." "A community sentence could be of more benefit than prison.
He has expressed willingness to engage in therapy and that gives some hope for the future." "With considerable hesitation, I'm persuaded by a very narrow margin that I can impose a community payback order." Lochrie will be under supervision for three years and must carry out 300 hours of unpaid community work.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for five years.
There are restrictions on his internet use and he must have no unsupervised contact with children under 16.
The sheriff also imposed a 12-month electronic tagging order.
