IAN GILLIES LIVINGSTON CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGES HORROR REVEALED

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Livingston, a man named Ian Gillies was found guilty of possessing and manipulating child sexual abuse images in a manner that the sheriff described as both "reprehensible and abhorrent."

The crime involved more than just the possession of illicit images; Gillies took the disturbing step of editing photographs to replace the faces of the children being abused with images of children he knew personally. This act of depravity was uncovered during a court hearing, where it was revealed that over a two-year period, until his arrest in July 2013, Gillies had accumulated a staggering collection of approximately 24,000 images depicting children being sexually assaulted.

The Livingston Sheriff Court was informed that a significant portion of the material found on Gillies’ computer was of the most severe category in the scale used to classify child abuse images. Specifically, 136 out of 168 videos were classified as the highest level of severity, illustrating sadistic and violent sexual abuse of minors. While the majority of the still images downloaded from the internet fell into a lower category, the extent and nature of the content were nonetheless deeply troubling.

Authorities from the specialized E-crime unit executed a search warrant at Gillies’ residence in Pinewood Park, Livingston, West Lothian, last July. The warrant was issued based on intelligence indicating that his computer had been used to access and store indecent images of children. Upon arrival, Gillies welcomed officers into his home and immediately confessed to viewing indecent images of minors. He claimed that he had downloaded the images but insisted he had deleted them immediately afterward.

During the investigation, it was revealed that some of the original photographs had been altered by replacing the faces of the young girls with images of children known to Gillies, adding a further layer of depravity to his actions. Due to the difficulty in completely erasing such offensive material, police decided to have the computer and storage devices destroyed to prevent any further dissemination or access.

Gillies’ defense lawyer, Hazel McGuinness, acknowledged that her client had no justification for his behavior. She stated that he had since expressed remorse and recognized that he had a problem. Despite this, the court took a stern stance on the matter.

Sheriff Peter Hammond sentenced Gillies to an extended period of imprisonment, with a punishment part of 27 months in custody. Following his release, Gillies will be subject to supervision under license for an additional year to ensure public safety. Furthermore, the court ordered that Gillies remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years.

The sheriff addressed Gillies directly, emphasizing the gravity of his crimes: “You’ve pled guilty to a very serious charge of downloading and making indecent images of children for your own gratification over a period exceeding two years. In excess of 24,000 still images were found on your computer along with video images. This represents an act of abuse of children which is reprehensible and abhorrent. I’ve come to the conclusion that only a custodial sentence is appropriate.”