KEVIN DONNELLY FROM GREENOCK JAILED FOR VIEWING OVER A THOUSAND CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGES

In October 2018, Kevin Donnelly, a resident of Greenock, was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of possessing a large collection of indecent images of children. The court heard that Donnelly, who was living with his partner and her young children at the time, had engaged in this disturbing activity over a period of three years, during which he spent hours at a time viewing the illicit material.

According to a detailed background report presented during the trial, Donnelly was assessed as being of 'high risk' of reoffending. The report also indicated that he exhibited a concerning lack of empathy towards the young victims depicted in the images, highlighting the severity of his psychological profile. Sheriff Derek Hamilton, presiding over Greenock Sheriff Court, emphasized the gravity of the offense by stating that for every one of the 1,328 images viewed by Donnelly, a child had been subjected to sexual abuse. This statistic underscores the disturbing nature of his actions and the extent of his engagement with such material.

Investigations revealed that Donnelly accessed highly disturbing websites, downloading material classified within the most severe categories of sexual abuse. Despite maintaining the appearance of a devoted family man, he obtained sexual gratification from viewing these images, which included acts of the worst possible nature. The court was informed that his viewing habits spanned from Christmas Eve in 2015 through to October of the following year, illustrating a sustained pattern of deviant behavior.

During the proceedings, defence lawyer Gerry Keenan argued that Donnelly's employment had been affected by his criminal conduct, stating, “He is no longer working as a direct consequence of being prosecuted in this matter. He resigned from his job.” Despite acknowledging the high risk of reoffending, the court was told that Donnelly had been deemed suitable for a community-based sentence and treatment programs. However, Sheriff Hamilton made it clear that in this case, incarceration was unavoidable. The sheriff pointed out that the duration over which Donnelly downloaded the illicit images was an aggravating factor, noting, “There was frequent viewing, and over periods of hours. There was planning and intensity to this behaviour, and a significant number of the images are of the most serious category.”

Donnelly, who resided in Greenock with his partner and her young children, was apprehended after police executed a dawn raid on a property in the east end of the town. During the operation, officers seized a laptop and a separate hard drive containing the illicit images. Donnelly pleaded guilty to possessing a quantity of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children on indictment.

The images found on his devices included 28 classified as Category A, 33 as Category B, and a staggering 1,267 as Category C, indicating the severity and volume of the material involved. As a result of his guilty plea, Donnelly was sentenced to an initial 12 months in prison, a reduction from the original 16 months. Additionally, Sheriff Hamilton ordered that Donnelly be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and included him on a list of individuals deemed unsuitable to work with children and vulnerable adults, reflecting the ongoing risk he poses to society.