GREENOCK SEX OFFENDER CAUGHT WITH NEARLY 2,000 INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN ADMITS GUILT
A GREENOCK sex offender caught with more than 1,800 indecent images of children admitted his ‘addiction’ to police and said he was 'young' and 'dumb' when they attended his home, a court has heard.Officers turned up at 23-year-old James Provan’s flat in East Shaw Street with a search warrant and seized devices on October 17 last year.
He told police: “You’ll find things.” Describing himself to officers as ‘young’ and ‘dumb’, Provan said: “It’s like any kind of addiction.
“I don’t want to do what I’ve been doing.
I just keep going back to it.” Subsequent analysis of the mobile phones uncovered 1,844 indecent photographs of children.
One device contained 499 still images, as well as 1,291 videos depicting child sexual exploitation.
More than 170 of the still images were classified as being category A - the term used to describe the most severe types of content.
Of the videos found on the device, 804 were deemed to fall under category A.
The second mobile phone contained 53 indecent still images and one category A video.
Provan also used apps, including Telegram and TeleGuard, to acquire and distribute indecent images between April 2024 and July 2024.
He was involved in 20 conversations with unknown persons to obtain and share such material.
Provan was due to stand trial before a jury this week, but instead tendered pleas of guilty to charges of possessing and distributing or showing indecent photographs of pseudo-photographs of children between September 2022 and October 2024.
Sheriff James Varney deferred his sentencing until a criminal justice social work report can be prepared.
He told Provan: “You’ve not served a period of custody.
In the circumstances, I’m prepared to obtain a full report.
“Be under no illusion, Mr Provan, of the severity of the offences.” Provan was placed on the sex offenders register and will remain on bail until his sentencing.
