June 2009 Former soldier caught with child porn escapes jail term A former soldier whose fiancée turned him in to police for child porn offences has avoided a prison sentence. Andre Dunn, 27, had more than 1,100 pornographic pictures of children on his computer. On Monday, the former member of the elite Scots Guard regiment – whose role included sentry duty at Buckingham Palace – was put on a three year probation order. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard his wife-to-be had arrived home early to find him stuffing computer equipment into a wardrobe. When she asked to see what he was hiding, he showed her a picture of a naked young girl. The woman grabbed his laptop and memory card and handed it in to police, who later arrested Dunn. Last month, Dunn pleaded guilty to possessing indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for three years. His lawyer said he had committed the offences in a bid to get out of a bad relationship. “He got himself into an abusive relationship and he found excitement in looking at these images,” said solicitor advocate Jim Stephenson. “It was his hope that she would discover it and end the relationship. It did work in this case.” Investigators found 1,109 indecent pictures and 32 video clips on Dunn’s computer and memory stick dating from October 2007 to April 2008. Fiscal depute Aidan Higgins, prosecuting, said the vast majority of the material – 959 photographs and four videos – showed the lowest level of abuse. 60 photos and 12 films showed more serious abuse. He said Dunn’s fiancée had become suspicious after returning to the home they shared in Dalkeith in April last year. She asked Dunn what he was hiding, he said ‘porn’ and showed her an image. “The accused was trying to hide something in a wardrobe with a laptop computer open in the house,” said Mr Higgins. “She saw one image that looked to be a very young girl who was naked and kneeling on a bed in a sexual pose.” Originally from Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Dunn was in the Scots Guards from 1999 to 2002, and protected Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Clarence House as well as the Princess Royal at her St James’s Palace residence. His high-profile role also meant he performed guardsman duties at the Tower of London and took part in the Trooping the Colour.