ROBERTO STRACHAN SENTENCED IN PETERHEAD FOR CHILD ABUSE MATERIAL

In April 2014, Robert Strachan, a man residing in Boddam near Peterhead with a view overlooking a northeast village play park, was found to have an extensive collection of child abuse images. Police raided his home on Sunday, January 27, after receiving a tip-off and seized a computer tower along with two laptops. An analysis of these devices uncovered nearly 8,000 illicit images and videos, including a disturbing 19-minute clip of a young child being violently abused against his will.

Strachan, 35, appeared at Peterhead Sheriff Court and admitted to possessing these computer files, some dating back to January 2006. Prosecutor David Bernard outlined that the stolen material included 7,654 images and 120 videos, with nearly 400 images and 47 videos classified at the most serious levels of indecency, involving sexual acts between children and adults, as well as sadism.

During police interview, Strachan claimed he had received these images from others online and that he had deleted the files after viewing them. The court was told the graphic content depicted children as young as one, predominantly boys, with some images stored in a folder labeled “Roy Chubby Brown.”

Defence solicitor Sam Milligan argued that Strachan, of 21 Claymore Crescent, had no prior criminal record and had contributed positively to society. He noted that over 60% of the videos and 90% of the images were at lower levels of indecency, specifically grades one to three.

However, Sheriff Alison Stirling expressed her stern judgment, stating, “You have pleaded guilty to a very serious offence. I have viewed a selection of these videos and images at all levels of the scale. I watched a 19-minute video which was at level five, which showed the violent treatment of a child who clearly wasn't a willing participant.” She concluded, “In my view, a community disposal is unrealistic. Custody is the only appropriate sentence.”

As a result, Strachan was sentenced to an extended five-year jail term, which entails serving 20 months in custody with the remaining 40 months on licence. He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years. While being led from the court in handcuffs, he showed no emotion, though members of the public gallery called out “beast.”