A man caught with hundreds of “foul” images and videos of “real children” has been spared jail at Inverness Sheriff Court.
Police who raided Martin Kula’s Sutherland home found sick footage and images of children as young as one.
But, after he admitted possessing indecent images of children, Kula has been handed unpaid work in the community and ordered to take part in a programme designed to address sexual offending.
He will also remain under supervision and on the sex offenders register for three years.
Martin Kula, who is now living in Loch Street, Wick, appeared for sentencing after previously admitting to possessing the indecent images and videos.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald had been told that National Child Abuse Investigation officers raided the 40-year-old’s home and found hundreds of child abuse videos and still images on his devices.
The search of Kula’s property at Loyal Terrace, Tongue, took place on July 27 last year and two phones, a laptop and a USB memory stick were seized.
At the earlier hearing, fiscal depute Robert Weir told the court that an initial examination of them revealed several hundred images involving children as young as one year old.
Kula pleaded guilty to possessing the graphic material and failing to provide the PIN for one of his phones.
Videos were ‘most obscene’
Mr Weir said that after forensic analysis, 39 accessible and six inaccessible videos in category A, which is the most obscene, were discovered along with 182 stills, and 14 inaccessible.
In Category B, 32 videos and nine inaccessible plus 34 still, two of which were inaccessible were found.
The prosecutor added that 136 videos in Category C and 73 inaccessible ones plus 30 stills and five inaccessible images were also retrieved.
Defence solicitor advocate Clare Russell told Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald: “He has done a significant amount of work to address his offending. In fact. I have never seen an individual carry out as much work.
“He has shown remorse to me and this could be dealt with by a robust community payback order.”
‘Foul videos and images of real children’
Sheriff MacDonald agreed but warned Kula would be jailed if he failed to cooperate.
“These are foul videos and images of real children with real lives who were hurt and their lives damaged,” she said.
“I always find it unfathomable how anyone can take pleasure out of seeing very young children being harmed in this way.”
Kula was ordered to carry out a total of 291 hours of unpaid community work and take part in the Moving Forward Making Changes rehabilitation programme.
