March 2019 East Kilbride beast claimed child sexual abuse images victims “enjoyed being abused” An East Kilbride man caught with indecent images of children told police it looked like some youngsters enjoyed being abused. Mark Williamson also said a distinction should be drawn between teenagers and those under the age of 12. His comments came as officers questioned him after they raided a flat in Glasgow Road, Blantyre, where he was staying in June last year. Williamson, now of Maxwellton Road, East Kilbride, admitted downloading and possessing child abuse images between January 2012 and June last year. Hamilton Sheriff Court heard nearly 5000 indecent images and video clips were found on devices belonging to the 28-year-old. Paula Russell, prosecuting, said Williamson told police he stumbled upon images while searching online for music. He stressed he was “not sexually aroused by them” but had a “persistent, morbid curiosity”. Ms Russell added: “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 the children appeared to be enjoying it.” He classified a child as being under 12-years old and believed there to be a distinction between a child and a teenager.” However, the fiscal said girls featured in images downloaded by Williamson could have been as young as four, and his Internet history showed he had searched for ‘pre-teens’. Sheriff Thomas Millar called for background reports and a risk assessment on Williamson who has no previous convictions. Sentence was deferred until May 2 and he was allowed to remain on bail.