May 2015 Pervert caught with hoard of indecent images sentenced to just two years supervision Stuart Woodland, 35, admitted possessing images of children at his flat in Irvine’s Harbour Street between September 19, 2008 and March 20, 2014. Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard in March how Woodland, a keen actor and photographer, was working on a project for Scottish Heritage with his flat mate. The lottery-funded project involved filming the history of Irvine Sports Club with Woodland and his flatmate required to prepare reports and carry out videography and photography. On March 17, 2014, the flatmate asked Woodland if he could access the Scottish Heritage hard drive on Woodland’s computer in order to carry out some work. Woodland stated it was in his bedroom and gave his flatmate permission to enter and take it when he needed it. The man went to get the hard drive after Woodland left the house later that day but saw it was connected to a PlayStation. But the flatmate would soon make a shocking discovery. After connecting the hard drive to his own computer, the flatmate discovered pictures of young girls. He also noted files titled ‘13YO’, ‘14YO’ and ‘15YO’ where he saw thumbnail images of the faces of young girls but did not open the files. Despite initially being unsure as how to deal with the sickening findings, the flatmate reported the matter to Irvine Police Office on March 19, 2014. The next day, police in possession of a warrant searched the Harbour Street property and seized a number of devices including a Verbatim hard drive and a Toshiba laptop from Woodland’s bedroom. A search of the devices by the Digital Forensics Unit found 1,200 pornographic images and 37 indecent images of children. The 37 images were rated as level 1, 2 and 3 and were created between September 19, 2008 and February 14, 2013. There was also evidence to suggest that the depraved Woodland had searched for terms such as “jailbait”, “Ayrshire+girls+naked” and “cute teen” along with visiting a website known to host indecent images. In addition, files with possible paedophilic content were found in the hard drive including one titled ‘15yo model leigh topless’. The court heard how these were stored in multiple embedded folder structures which indicated that they were possibly hidden from view if another person was to browse the hard drive. Later that day, Woodland attended Saltcoats Police Office where he was detained and had his mobile phone seized. Woodland replied: “I just want to find more out”. Despite answering all questions put to him by police and stating the computer equipment was his, Woodland claimed he was unaware of any images of children. Woodland, now living in Elizabeth Street in Cessnock, Glasgow, returned to Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week for sentencing and pled guilty. Defence solicitor John McCluskey revealed that Woodland now works as a kitchen porter in a restaurant in Glasgow earning £180 per week. Mr McCluskey added that Woodland was initially at odds about the content of the images but now accepts full responsibility. He revealed that Woodland’s behaviour has led to a breakdown in family relations and the loss of friends causing him to suffer from depression. But Mr McCluskey said Woodland was taking steps to improve his condition by reading self-help books. He added that although a lot of the files contained adult pornography, Woodland accepts full responsibility for the 37 child images. Presiding Sheriff Brian Murphy believed he could deal with Woodland in a manner short of custody. Woodland was sentenced to two years supervision, ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for the period of his supervision. April 2015 Irvine man who hoarded images of children being sexually abused is facing jail Stuart Woodland, 35, was caught after his flatmate borrowed his computer to work on a joint history project about the town. But the witness was shocked to find indecent pictures of young children stored on the hard drive. Woodland admitted possessing the illegal material which he had amassed between September 2008 and March last year, when he was arrested. Police found search terms and websites on his computer commonly shared by paedophiles. Sentence was deferred until later this month at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court and Woodland was freed on bail. In 2010, Woodland claimed he had arranged for The Scheme star Marvin Baird to star in a Christmas panto at Irvine’s Harbour Arts Centre. The event never materialised.