STUART FRATSON AND SHOCKING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN RENFREWSHIRE
A man from Linwood, located in Renfrewshire, has been found in possession of over 100 indecent images of children on his mobile phone, prompting a serious criminal investigation.Authorities acted after receiving credible information indicating that Stuart Fratson, aged 45, was storing these vile images on his device, leading to a police raid at his residence in Russell Place in June of the previous year.
The police operation was initiated following a tip-off received in September 2021, which suggested that a device at Fratson’s home was connected to the internet and contained illegal images of minors.
Acting on this intelligence, a search warrant was obtained, and on June 10, 2022, officers arrived at Fratson’s property at approximately 7:45 a.m.
Upon arrival, Fratson cooperated with the officers and allowed them entry into his home.
During the search, various electronic devices were seized, including a black Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
Fratson claimed ownership of the device and provided the police with the PIN code.
At around 9 a.m., PC Wallace from the cybercrime unit arrived to assist with the examination of the electronic devices.
Shortly thereafter, police officer Gilmour was informed by PC Wallace that indecent images of children had been discovered on the Samsung device.
The investigation extended to other devices, which were examined and found to be free of illegal content, and subsequently returned to their owners.
However, a computer tower was retained by cybercrime officers for further analysis.
The Samsung phone was thoroughly examined and found to contain a SIM card, which was identified as Fratson’s property.
The device also held various account artifacts linked to his name, including a passport photograph and a wage slip.
Most notably, the device contained a total of 126 still images classified as indecent, which were deemed highly serious.
During the court proceedings at Paisley Sheriff Court, Fratson admitted to possessing the indecent images between April 26, 2022, and June 23, 2022.
He also confessed to taking, permitting to be taken, or creating indecent or pseudo-photographs of children during the period from April to June of the previous year.
His defense lawyer requested that reports be prepared for further mitigation, and the court, presided over by Sheriff Thomas Ward, emphasized the gravity of the case.
The sheriff stated, “This is a serious matter and I’ll have to get a social work report to find out how best to deal with this.” The court also noted that a detailed breakdown of the images’ severity would be provided at the next hearing.
Fratson, who is currently residing in homeless accommodation on Abercorn Street in Paisley, was placed on the Sex Offender’s Register.
His case was adjourned until December 7 for sentencing, with bail continued in the meantime.
The court also ordered a restriction of liberty order assessment to be conducted as part of the sentencing process.
