MARK WILLIAMSON OF CALDERWOOD SENTENCED IN HAMILTON FOR POSSESSING NEARLY 5000 INDECENT IMAGES
Mark Williamson, from the Calderwood area, was found to possess nearly 5,000 indecent images and video clips on his electronic devices.The 28-year-old, of Maxwellton Road, expressed to police that some children appeared to enjoy being abused, describing the material as disturbing.
Despite this, he avoided imprisonment and was instead sentenced at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday to a two-year supervision order.
Additionally, Williamson was placed on the sex offenders register for the same period.
Court proceedings revealed that the devices belonging to Williamson contained images and videos of children, with offenses dating from January 2012 to June the previous year.
Prosecutor Paula Russell stated that the girls depicted in the material could have been as young as four years old and that Williamson’s internet search history included queries related to pre-teen children.
The police uncovered these materials during a raid on a flat in Glasgow Road, Blantyre, where Williamson was staying in June last year.
During questioning, Williamson claimed that a distinction should be made between teenagers and children under 12 but admitted he had come across these images while searching for music online.
Ms.
Russell explained that Williamson insisted he was not sexually aroused by the images but was driven by a morbid curiosity, stating, "He said he did not enjoy seeing children in pain and could not tell from the images whether or not they were.
Their faces were often covered, but possibly in some images children appeared to be enjoying it." Williamson’s defense acknowledged that he has issues but emphasized that he had cooperated with social services and would continue to do so.
His solicitor, Diarmid Bruce, noted, "My client pleaded guilty at the first diet stage.
It’s a serious matter and he knows his conduct was unacceptable." Sheriff Thomas Miller, sentencing Williamson, said he would follow the recommendations outlined in the detailed report provided to the court.
As part of his penalty, Williamson has been prohibited from owning any device capable of internet access unless it includes a search history that cannot be erased.
