Aberdeen man admits to horrific collection of child abuse images

ABERDEEN MAN ADMITS TO HORRIFIC COLLECTION OF CHILD ABUSE IMAGES

A man who was expecting to become a father later this year was found guilty of possessing an extensive collection of indecent images and videos of children.

The police arrived at his residence just after Christmas, where they discovered hundreds of vile images and videos, some with file names indicating abuse such as "pedo", "preteen", and even "2yo".

The collected evidence included devices seized during a search warrant executed at his Lochnagar Road home in Aberdeen, which contained numerous disturbing files.

The majority of the material was rated as category A, the most severe, showing children, some as young as one or two years old, involved in sexual activity or sexualized posing.

The total footage extracted from various devices exceeded two hours, with a hard drive containing 365 videos, 304 of which were category A.Further analysis revealed active searches for similar material online.

The defendant, Cristian Morariu, pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the possession and taking of indecent images of children between February 2017 and December 2022.

During court proceedings, his legal representative stated that he was in a stable relationship, engaged, and expecting a child.

The defense also highlighted his self-awareness and limited risk of reoffending, as he had completed the Stop It Now program and showed remorse.Ultimately, Sheriff Ian Wallace sentenced Morariu to 270 hours of unpaid work, supervised him for two years as a conditional alternative to custody, and ordered him to complete the Aberdeen Sexual Offenders programme.

Additionally, strict internet use conditions were imposed, and he was placed on the sex offenders register.