JASON THOMSON'S SHOCKING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE IN GALASHIELS REVEALS BREACH OF COURT ORDERS AND SERIOUS OFFENSES

JASON THOMSON'S SHOCKING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASE IN GALASHIELS REVEALS BREACH OF COURT ORDERS AND SERIOUS OFFENSES

In a series of disturbing incidents that have rocked the community of Galashiels, Jason Thomson, a 40-year-old resident, has been at the center of multiple legal proceedings related to the possession and distribution of indecent images of children. These events span over several months and highlight the severity of his offenses, as well as the legal repercussions he faces.

In September 2014, Thomson was found to have breached a court order while on bail. He was under suspicion for downloading indecent images of minors, a charge that had already led to his being placed on the Sex Offenders Register. The breach occurred when Thomson contacted the police to report a theft at his property on St Andrew Street in Galashiels. When officers responded to his call on Saturday, January 25, they observed devices, including a mobile phone, which prompted them to check his bail conditions. These conditions explicitly prohibited him from possessing any devices capable of internet access. Despite this, Thomson was found to be in breach of his bail restrictions.

Further investigation revealed that Thomson was addicted to pornography, a fact acknowledged during court proceedings. His defense lawyer, Mat Patrick, described the breach as a "simply a matter of confusion on Thomson's part," and emphasized that the devices, which served multiple purposes beyond internet access, were analyzed and found to contain no illicit material at that time. Nevertheless, Thomson was fined £125 by Sheriff Peter Paterson for the breach.

Prior to this incident, Thomson had already been convicted of possessing child pornography. In August 2014, he appeared before Selkirk Sheriff Court to face charges related to the possession of indecent images of children. He pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing such material, which had been found on his computer during a police investigation. The court was informed that a total of 164 indecent images and 28 movies were discovered on his device. The majority of these images fell into the Level One category, depicting young girls aged between infants and 12 years old, either naked or partially clothed, in erotic poses. Other images ranged from Level Two, which included six images of girls involved in sex acts with other minors, to Level Three and Four, with 36 images and 10 movies at Level Three, and 20 images and 17 movies at Level Four. One particularly serious image was classified as Level Five, indicating the most severe category involving sadism or penetration.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Thomson was struggling with a pornography addiction. His defense lawyer, Ross Dow, explained that Thomson was at a loss to explain how these images came to be on his computer. He stated, “He describes an addiction to pornography. He says he was accessing regular pornography, and things progressed from there.” The police investigation also uncovered that the computer files contained search terms such as ‘Paedo,’ ‘Child,’ ‘Porno,’ ‘Lolita,’ and ‘PTHC’ (Pre-Teen Hard Core). When questioned by police, Thomson maintained that he was not attracted to children and did not use chatrooms, but he could not provide a satisfactory explanation for the presence of the illicit material.

Thomson, who was unemployed at the time, was sentenced to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work as part of a Community Payback order. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for three years. The court emphasized the seriousness of his offenses, which involved accessing and possessing highly illegal material involving minors.

These incidents have raised significant concern within the community of Galashiels, highlighting the ongoing issues related to child exploitation and the importance of strict enforcement of laws designed to protect minors. Thomson’s case remains a stark reminder of the dangers posed by individuals with such addictions and the critical need for vigilance and legal accountability in safeguarding vulnerable children.