Another Paedophile Police Scotland officer, Derek Kennedy from Dundee, has been sentenced to one year in prison for downloading child pornography during his tenure on the force.
Derek Kennedy was registered on the Sex Offenders Register for a decade after being apprehended with thousands of disturbing child pornography pictures.
Investigators uncovered around 5,000 child pornography photographs and in excess of 18 hours of explicit video content during a raid on the residence of their former colleague.
Derek Kennedy, while employed with Police Scotland, commenced downloading criminal material in 2016 and first asserted that the photos were downloaded inadvertently.
However, an examination of the contents on his devices revealed that he had organised them into designated folders and using specialised tools to conceal the evidence.
He informed the officers, “an instinct in the recesses of my mind compelled me to retain them,” upon their discovery of several abhorrent images on his mobile device.
Initially, Derek Kennedy refuted any sexual interest in the material; nonetheless, he was subsequently discovered to have accumulated and preserved a substantial collection of photographs and films over a span of three years.
Derek Kennedy, 34, of Dundee, confessed to downloading child pornography at his residence on Butters Road, Dundee, between 10 August 2016 and 16 July of the previous year.
Fiscal depute Eilidh Robertson informed Dundee Sheriff Court that he possesses no prior convictions.
He is 34 years old and presently unemployed.
On 29 August 2019, law enforcement conducted a search at the defendant’s residence and confiscated a mobile phone.
“During the initial analysis, indecent images of minors were retrieved.”
He was apprehended and transported to the police headquarters in Dundee.
Derek Kennedy confessed to downloading indecent photographs of youngsters, although said it was unintentional and could not comprehend the reason for retaining them.
He stated, “An instinctual thought compelled me to retain them.”
“Derek Kennedy acknowledged engaging in masturbation to the images but asserted that he possessed no sexual attraction to children.”
She stated that two laptops and the phone were confiscated, and Kennedy was discovered to have relocated the pornographic material into various folders on the devices.
Evidence indicated that he had transferred data from one laptop to another and had also moved files to a designated folder on his phone.
Peer-to-peer file-sharing software was utilised to search for and download illicit photos of minors.
Derek Kennedy utilised privacy tools on one machine and employed the Tor browser to facilitate anonymity.
Ms. Robertson informed the court that Kennedy was apprehended with 4,707 indecent photos and 1,118 child pornography movies depicting youngsters ranging from infancy to 15 years of age.
The photos predominantly depicted girls, with some males included.
“The videos had a total runtime of 18 hours, six minutes, and 40 seconds.”
She stated that the majority of the content was classified as Category A – the most severe, with depictions of child rape, bestiality, and sadism.
Defence attorney Theo Finlay stated: “He has maintained consistent employment throughout his adult life and was a serving police officer.”
Derek Kennedy was had to quit due to medical circumstances.
“He has a history of mental health challenges.”
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