William McCulloch,a Midlothian Paedophile convicted of possessing abhorrent indecent photos of children, including infants subjected to sexual abuse, has been sentenced to imprisonment.
William McCulloch was discovered to have downloaded around 6000 images and films illustrating the sexual assault and exploitation of minors during a police raid on his residence last year.
William McCulloch, 62, endeavoured to conceal his immoral fixation by putting the photographs on three devices within “secure folders” that necessitated security settings for access. The Edinburgh Sheriff Court was informed that police obtained intelligence indicating that indecent material involving children was being downloaded at McCulloch’s residence in Penicuik, Midlothian.
At approximately 8 am on May 26 of the previous year, officers conducted a raid on the property, gaining admission through the astonished wife of William McCulloch. McCulloch returned shortly after that, and a methodical search of the residence was conducted, confiscating two mobile phones and an external hard drive.
The court was informed that all three devices included thousands of indecent photos of minors.
Fiscal depute Matthew Millar stated that 5,946 photographs and films of both male and female youngsters, categorised as aged between “infants and 15 years old,” were discovered on the devices.
The court was informed that around 2,000 photographs and videos were classified as Category A, representing the most egregious level of depravity and that security measures were required to access the content.
William McCulloch admitted guilt to possessing obscene photos of children at his residence on May 25 of the previous year at his appearance at the capital court earlier this year.
William McCullochalso acknowledged a charge of possessing or permitting the possession of indecent photos of children from May 5, 2011, to May 25 of the previous year.
On Thursday, October 3, William McCulloch was returned to the dock, where Sheriff Charles Walls sentenced him to 22 months of incarceration and mandated his registration as a sex offender for 10 years.
The sheriff stated that his name will be submitted to the Scottish Ministers for consideration regarding its inclusion on the list of individuals prohibited from dealing with children in the future.
Sheriff Walls stated: “You have been found guilty of grave offences involving the possession of indecent images of minors.”
You present yourself in court today without any prior convictions, and as a consequence of your conduct, your marriage has deteriorated, resulting in the loss of your employment and family.
“Given the circumstances, only a custodial sentence would be suitable.”
The sheriff stated that the aggravating factors in this case were the “extremely grave nature of the images” and “the ages of the children depicted, some of whom were infants.”
Solicitor James Stewart, representing the defendant, stated that his client felt “ashamed of his conduct” and that his 17-year marriage had deteriorated after his detention.
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