Jail for 'disgraceful' Balintore man (27) who downloaded footage of children being abused
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A 27-year-old Easter Ross man who downloaded indecent photographs and videos of children being abused was jailed for 21 months at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Cameron McKay of Bank Street, Balintore previously appeared before Sheriff Sara Matheson and admitted taking and making the images at his home between July 31, 2021 and October 28, 2022.
He also pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate indecently with an older child and causing the child to look at a sexual image.
In addition, he admitted intentionally sending a direct sexual communication to another without consent.
He was represented by solicitor advocate Clare Russell who told Sheriff Matheson that incidents in her client's childhood may have contributed to his behaviour.
"He is no longer staying with his grandmother as he does not want to bring any repercussions to her door. He doesn't want to continue behaving in this way but it could be dealt with by a robust community-based disposal with programmes for alcohol misuse and for sex offenders."
However Sheriff Matheson disagreed, telling McKay, who admitted a similar earlier offence: "Given your previous conviction and the disgraceful background to these offences, only a custodial sentence is appropriate."
Fiscal depute Emily Hood said: "A search warrant was obtained by police and a laptop and mobile phone were seized. Analysis showed that there were 24 still images in Category A (the most graphic) and 20 inaccessible images, 10 accessible videos, four of which were Category A and seven inaccessible videos, three of which were Category A."
Analysis of the mobile phone also showed his communications in explicit language to a girl who said she was only 15. McKay also sent images of a man performing a sex act on himself.
