MOUNTBLOW SEX OFFENDER JAMES MCENIFF ADMITS CHILD PORN CHARGES
A Mountblow man who was found with child porn on a laptop at his home last year had previously served a nine-year sentence for sex offences.The images were found on James McEniff’s computer when police visited his home to monitor his behaviour.
A court heard this week that McEniff had been put on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period, and handed a four-year jail term, with a five-year extended sentence, after being convicted of indecency offences in January 2009.
When officers found the images on his laptop during a search in August of last year, the 59-year-old claimed he didn’t know how they had got on to his machine.
But at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Tuesday, McEniff pleaded guilty to two charges relating to indecent images of children.
The Canberra Road resident admitted possessing, taking, permitting to be taken, or making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children on August 30, 2018 – only five months after the completion of his extended sentence for the 2009 conviction.
Kenny Grieve, prosecuting, said: “Police visited the accused’s home address to carry out a routine and unannounced ‘offender management unit’ visit.
Officers observed a laptop near the accused’s bed.
He stated that he only used it for carrying out job searches.
The laptop’s internet history was examined and contained a number of sites with images of what appeared to be pre-pubescent males engaged in sexual acts.
The accused stated he didn’t know how the images had got on to his computer.” Six images were found – one at the most serious category A level, two at category B and three at category C.
Sheriff Maxwell Hendry deferred sentence on McEniff for background reports and continued his bail.
McEniff will return to court on December 5, when a plea in mitigation will be given by his solicitor.
