May 2019

Jedburgh man jailed over indecent child images

A man who admitted having thousands of indecent images and movies of children has been jailed for nearly six years.

Allan Corcoran, 26, from Jedburgh, was described as a “high-risk sex offender” at the town’s sheriff court.

He pleaded guilty to possessing and downloading the images and breaching a sexual offences prevention order by having a mobile phone without the knowledge of his supervising officer.

The offences happened in his Jedburgh home between October and December 2018.

The court was told that on one phone sim card alone there were 12,347 indecent images of children and 1,456 movies.

Jedburgh Sheriff Court heard they had been organised into folders and included extreme images.

Sheriff Peter Paterson told him: “These are serious offences and that matter is only underlined by your previous convictions.”

Corcoran was jailed for a total of five years and 10 months, backdated to 10 January, and was put on the sex offenders register for life.

In 2016, he was jailed for two years for downloading and distributing indecent images of children.

He also admitted sending messages to a 15-year-old girl that had a sexual content

April 2019

Jedburgh pervert warned he faces jail again after

A 26-year-old man found in possession of thousands of indecent images and films of children has been warned he faces a lengthy jail sentence.

Allan Corcoran, described as a high-risk sex offender at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, pleaded guilty to possessing and downloading child sexual abuse images and breaching a sexual offences prevention order by having a mobile phone without the knowledge of his supervising officer.

Those offences were committed at his home in Blackhills Close in Jedburgh between October 16 and December 19 last year. One phone sim card alone was found to contain 12,347 indecent images of children and 1,456 movies.

The court was told that the images had been organised into folders and covered all categories, including the most extreme classification.

Tessa Bradley, prosecuting, told the court that Corcoran had been subject to a high level of supervision since his release from prison because he was assessed to be at high risk of reoffending.

Corcoran’s home was searched on December 19 following a tip-off that he was breaching the conditions of his order. Defence lawyer Ross Dow said his client recognised he had a serious problem.

Sheriff Peter Paterson told Corcoran: “These are serious offences, and that is only underlined by your previous convictions.”

He called for background reports but warned that a custodial sentence, possibly a lengthy one, is inevitable and added that the case might even be referred to the High Court as it has tougher sentencing powers. Sentence was deferred until May 13, and Corcoran was remanded in custody.

Corcoran was jailed for two years in 2016 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court for downloading and distributing indecent images of children.

He also admitted sending messages containing sexual content from a house in Kelso’s Cross Street to a 15-year-old girl and engaging in sexual activity with her at the Pavilion Cinema in Galashiels

As well as being jailed, Corcoran was put under supervision for four years and told his name would be on the sex offenders’ register for a decade

March 2019

Town Yetholm man admits indecent child image charges

A man found with hundreds of thousands of indecent images of children on his computers has been placed on the sex offenders register for three years.

Michael Bell, 60, of Town Yetholm, was given a community payback order with supervision for three years and told to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work.

He downloaded the images over a five-and-a-half year period at his home.

He admitted two charges of possession of indecent photographs and causing or permitting them to be taken.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser told Jedburgh Sheriff Court how a tip-off had led to a warrant being issued and police visiting Bell’s house in April last year.

He was cautioned and he confirmed he lived alone and no-one else had access to his computer.

The hard drives of three devices were examined and more than 350,000 images were discovered.

The court heard most of them were in category C but a number fell into the more serious categories A and B.

January 2019

350,000 indecent images of children found after police raid at Yetholm home

A man caught in possession of 350,000 indecent images of children will be sentenced next month.

Michael Bell, 60, downloaded that huge haul of photographs and videos onto computers at his home in Dow Brae, Town Yetholm, between November 2012 and April 2018.

He pleaded guilty to two charges of possession of indent photographs and causing or permitting them to be taken.

Procurator fiscal Graham Fraser told Selkirk Sheriff Court that the police received information about a device connected to Bell’s home downloading indecent images of children and that they were being shared.

A warrant was granted, and police officers called at his house on April 3, and Bell answered the door.

He was cautioned and he confirmed he lived alone and that no one else had access to his computer.

Mr Fraser said various search phrases were found on Bell’s computer such as ‘young school model’ and ‘young little virgins’.

The hard drives of three devices were examined. The first had 16 category-A, that being the most serious type, images and eight videos on, plus 92 category-B images and eight videos and 34,201 category-C images and 46 videos.

The second had 10 category-A videos on, 61 category-B images and 99 videos and 160,927 category-C images and 440 videos. The third had 21 category-A images and four videos on, 352 category-B images and 49 videos and 153,952 category-C images and 259 videos.

Mr Fraser commented: “That is just short of 350,000 category-C images alone. Reports will be inevitable.”

Sentence was deferred until March 18 at Jedburgh Sheriff Court for the production of a criminal justice social work report. Borders brewery boss fined £400 and given one-year road ban for drink-driving Bell’s name was put on the sex offenders’ register in the meantime