USMAN AWAN IN GIFFNOCK: HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE IMAGE CASE SHOCKS SCOTLAND

In April 2019, a disturbing case involving Usman Awan, a resident of Giffnock, came to light as he faced serious charges related to the possession and distribution of child abuse images. The case revealed a troubling pattern of criminal behavior that spanned several years, beginning when Awan was just nine years old.

It was through the efforts of Operation NOCAP, the National Online Child Abuse Prevention campaign, that police first identified Awan’s activities in 2016. During this investigation, authorities uncovered that he had been downloading horrific images of young girls being sexually abused, some as young as five months old. At that time, Awan was still a minor, and the police’s discovery marked a significant step in addressing his disturbing online behavior.

By the time he reached 18, Awan’s case was brought before Paisley Sheriff Court, where he was spared immediate imprisonment and instead placed under a Community Payback Order (CPO). The court found that he had been downloading videos and images onto his Samsung tablet, depicting young girls being sexually exploited. The court records detailed that these images included a girl as young as five months old, and the material was of such a graphic nature that it shocked those involved in the case.

However, Awan’s criminal activities did not cease there. In November of the following year, he was caught again attempting to download more child abuse images. This time, he had shared some of these illicit files with another paedophile, which led to his return to court. During the hearing, Awan, now aged 20, pleaded guilty to both downloading and distributing illegal images from his home in Giffnock.

Prosecutor Keri Marshall informed the court that in June 2017, Awan had been placed under a strict CPO that prohibited him from owning devices capable of internet access unless explicitly permitted by his social worker. The order also restricted his social media activity and barred him from having contact with children under 17, with the exception of his brother. Despite these restrictions, police raided his residence at 8 a.m. on November 28 last year, discovering a black iPhone beside his bed.

Investigations revealed that Awan had used this phone to download and share child sex abuse images, including a particularly disturbing one depicting a 10-year-old girl, wearing a hijab, being forced to perform a sexual act on an adult male. Authorities found that he possessed images of girls as young as three being sexually abused, and he had used the Kik messaging app to send some of these images to others involved in similar crimes.

Sheriff Tom McCartney, presiding over the case, ordered that background reports be prepared before sentencing. The case was adjourned until the following week to allow for this. When Awan appeared again in court, his defense solicitor, Jonathan Manson, highlighted the difficult circumstances surrounding his client. Manson explained that Awan had been disowned by his family and faced homelessness. He also stated that Awan was a victim of abuse himself, having been subjected to non-family member abuse during his childhood. The lawyer suggested that this trauma might have contributed to his offending behavior and emphasized that Awan had aspirations for further education and a better future.

Despite these mitigating factors, Sheriff McCartney sentenced Awan to 16 months in prison and ordered him to be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for ten years. The sheriff emphasized the seriousness of the offenses, noting that Awan’s previous conviction for similar crimes, committed while he was under a Community Payback Order, compounded the gravity of his latest actions. It was also revealed that Awan had a history of downloading child abuse images dating back to when he was just nine years old, with a guilty plea to charges involving images accessed from February 2014, when he was 15. The police found a total of 861 illegal images and 41 videos on his devices, with some classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of abuse.

In a related development from March 2019, Awan faced additional charges for sharing the illicit images, further highlighting the extent of his criminal activities. The police investigation uncovered that he had stored and shared these images from his home in Giffnock, with the court hearing details of his continued offending despite previous orders and restrictions. The case underscored the ongoing threat posed by individuals involved in the distribution of child abuse material and the importance of rigorous legal action to protect vulnerable victims.