A Turriff paedophile was caught after his girlfriend found indecent images of teenage boys on his mobile phone.
Murray Temple, 31, appeared in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court where he admitted downloading child abuse material over a four-month period.
However, when police seized Temple’s phone and cybercrime officers went through it, they discovered he’s also been communicating with a teenage boy online while pretending to be an adult woman.
It was revealed that Temple had encouraged the teenager to carry out a sex act.
In 2018, Temple, currently a prisoner of HMP Grampian, admitted a series of charges related to children and child abuse material.
Partner made video for police on her phone
Fiscal depute Emma Petersen told the court that Temple’s partner contacted the police at around 3pm on May 13 last year, stating that she had looked through his phone and discovered images of “young looking males in various states of undress” and that she was concerned.
Police attended and spoke to Temple and his girlfriend, with Temple assuring them that the images had been taken from a legitimate adult pornography website and that the people in the pictures were all over 18 years old.
Temple had deleted the images and videos on the phone before the police arrived.
However, it was soon revealed that his partner had made a video of her scrolling through Temple’s phone, which she showed to the police.
Due to concerns that Temple’s phone may contain indecent images of children, the police seized the phone for further examination.
An examination of the phone by cybercrime officers confirmed that there was child abuse material on the phone, with three Category B videos and one Category B image found.
These featured boys and girls aged between 10 and 15.
Temple was also chatting to boy
Four Category C pictures were also found featuring boys estimated to be between 14 and 15 years old.
In relation to one of the video files found, it showed Temple communicating with a male of around 14 while pretending to be an adult female in order to induce the teenager to carry out a sex act.
Police then arrested Temple at his home address.
In the dock, Temple pleaded guilty to one charge of downloading child abuse material and a second charge of communicating indecently with a child.
His defence solicitor, Caitlin Pirie, called for the court to carry out background reports into her client.
Sheriff Lesley Johnston deferred sentence and remanded Temple in custody in order for a criminal justice social work account with a risk assessment and a restriction of liberty order assessment could be carried out.
She also placed Temple on the sex offenders register.
For all the latest court cases in Aberdeen as well as crime and breaking incidents, join our Facebook group.