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Paedophile who molested two girls is warned he may be sent back to prison after being caught with indecent photos of children

Matthew McCourt leaving Elgin Sheriff Court.
Matthew McCourt leaving Elgin Sheriff Court.

A Moray paedophile has been warned he faces being sent back to prison after being caught with indecent photographs of children.

In 2011, Matthew McCourt was jailed for 34 months after committing sexual offences against a primary school pupil in Nairn and a young girl in Inverness.

At the time, there was said to be a “high risk” he would reoffend, with the 33-year-old placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

And yesterday McCourt appeared at Elgin Sheriff Court to admit possessing indecent images of children between November 21 and December 13 last year.

Fiscal depute Kevin Corrins said the children pictured in the files were aged between one and 15.

Four of the pictures were considered to be category B images, with the remaining 52 classed as category C.

McCourt had previously pledged to take part in programmes to deal with his urges while behind bars.

Solicitor Stephen Carty yesterday argued that his client should be spared a return to prison.

He said: “Mr McCourt has previously served a custodial sentence and there are obviously some issues there that have not been addressed.

“I would submit that the number of images we have here is at the lower end of the scale and are of the type that would normally result in a non-custodial sentence.”

Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov agreed to allow McCourt, of Greenbank Court in Buckie, to be released on bail but warned the decision should not be taken as an indication of her final sentence.

McCourt admitted a single charge of taking or permitting the taking of, or making, indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.

Sentence was deferred until September 6 for reports.