A convicted sex offender has been placed back on the register after being caught with thousands of illicit images and videos of children.
Officers raided the home of 43-year-old Scott Lawson after they received intelligence that his internet connection had been used to download child porn.
And, when he was interviewed by the police, Lawson said he had become “fascinated” by the explicit material.
Lawson, who is already a convicted sex offender, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday and admitted downloading and possessing the pictures and videos between December 27, 2015 and April 20, 2016 while at his home on Rolland Place, Drumlithie.
Fiscal depute David Bernard said two computer towers and hard drives were seized from his home.
On the devices, a total of 25 indecent images were found as well as videos with a combined running time of almost an hour.
The court heard that 3,183 indecent images were subsequently made using screen grabs from the video footage.
Mr Bernard said all the footage and pictures were of girls, aged between seven and 14, being raped and abused by adult men.
The court heard Lawson was asked by police what he thought of the videos he had been watching.
He replied: “Some of them are horrible, ken? Like some of the stuff I have seen, but I am nae looking for that with some sort of plan, trying to plan out some sort of life for myself. I am looking at it just because it’s there, ken?”
He was then asked what type of material he had been watching.
He replied: “It was just athin, and I am thinking ‘what do I do here?’ I’m seriously serious, no joke, I am thinking ‘what do I do? Do I report this or will that get me into more trouble?”
The court heard Lawson told officers he was trying to download music when he came across the material on a filesharing website.
He said he “just looked” at it and was “fascinated” by it.
He added: “I was looking at lots of different stuff, like kiddie porn, those things and athin, and I am thinking how can this be happening, ken? But I did watch it aye, I checked it out. I just liked the fascination.”
The court heard that, when Lawson was cautioned and charged, he said: “I do not know if I am happy, but I feel a bit of satisfaction being able to move forward.”
Sheriff Alison Stirling placed Lawson, of Clerk Street in Brechin, on the sex offenders’ register and deferred sentence on him until next month for reports.
