A Boys’ Brigade leader who admitted having hundreds of indecent images of children has been spared jail.
Aberdeen businessman Mark Wilkie had more than 400 images of young boys on a computer in his bedroom.
The 47-year-old, who served with BB companies in Forfar and Monifieth, previously admitted possession of indecent material between April 30, 2007 and January 6, last year and appeared for sentencing at Forfar Sheriff Court yesterday.
He was put on the sex offenders’ register for 18 months and ordered to carry out 270 hours of unpaid work.
The court heard that when police raided Wilkie’s home last January, they found indecent material on a Dell computer in his bedroom.
A total of 412 indecent photographs of 12 to 16-year-old boys were recovered from four files. They comprised 406 level one images and six at level two in seriousness, with level five being the highest end of the scale.
Cyber forensics revealed the images had been downloaded between 2008 and 2012, and had last been accessed in January 2014.
The court was also told that seven indecent videos, downloaded between 2007 and 2010, were recovered. Five of those were level two material and two were categorised at level four.
Defence advocate Gavin Anderson said yesterday urged the sheriff not to jail Wilkie, of 41 McCulloch Drive, Forfar, since the images were at the lower end of the scale and had not accessed by anyone else.
He added: “The accused has a real and genuine willingness to engage and undertake all assistance open to him.”
Sheriff Gregor Murray said he thought there would be more benefit to the public in a community based disposal instead of a prison sentence in Wilkie’s case.
He placed Wilkie on a probation order for 18 months, part of which requires him to take part in an intervention programme for people convicted of sexual offences.
And Sheriff Murray told him: “You will have no unsupervised contact with a child aged under 17 except inadvertently and without prior approval from your supervising officer.
“You will not engage in any hobbies or social activities which are likely to bring you into contact with a child aged under 17.”
Wilkie must also register any devices with access to the internet with the police.
National Boys’ Brigade chiefs previously said they were “deeply saddened” by the case and that Wilkie had been suspended as soon as offences came to light.