Sex offender sentenced for indecent images offences
Police found devices containing indecent child images when they searched a home in Blairhall.
Edward McGaffney (52), now of Princes Court, Ayr, returned to Dunfermline Sheriff Court for sentencing.
He previously admitted that between 29th June 2012 and 11th May 2017 at an address in Blairhall and elsewhere, he was in possession of indecent images of children.
He also admitted he took, permitted to be taken or made indecent images of children.
Depute fiscal Azrah Yousaf told the court that in May police received information and as a result obtained a warrant to search McGaffney’s home.
They found a mobile phone in a locked cabinet which also contained young girls’ underwear. The phone and computers were seized.
On a laptop there were images of a young girl aged three or four being held when she was naked.
Police believed these images had been taken at a property McGaffney lived in previously in the west Fife area. There was also an image of a young boy sleeping and naked.
McGaffney’s devices were found to contain 370 illegal images and he later gave a ‘no comment’ interview to police.
The woman who had been holding the girl in the photos said it was taken after the child had been taken out of the bath.
“She said she wasn’t happy about the photo being taken and didn’t know it had been saved,” added the depute.
Defence solicitor Gordon Martin said, “He’s accepted his guilt and responsibility and has expressed a degree of remorse.”
Sheriff Craig McSherry imposed a community payback order with three years’ supervision and McGaffney will take part in a sex offenders’ programme.
He was also put on the sex offenders’ register for three years.