December 2020

Teenager sent indecent messages to underage girls

A Lerwick teenager who took advantage of four underage girls by communicating sexually and indecently with them via Snapchat escaped a jail sentence when he appeared at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.

Lewis Barclay, of Commercial Road, aged 19, had previously pleaded guilty to four charges, including sending photos of himself in a state of undress and requesting the same from the girls affected, who were all between the age of 13 and 16.

The court had previously heard how Barclay’s requests had made them feel uncomfortable.

The offences took place on various occasions between 1 May last year and 1 January 2020 when Barclay was 17 and 18.

Defence solicitor Tommy Allan said naivety and a lack of maturity had played a major part in his client getting involved in this.

He added that Barclay had already lost his job and “possibly a career” as a direct result of his behaviour.

Sheriff Robert Mcdonald said Barclay should be in no doubt about the seriousness of the offence, something he could go to jail for.

He ordered him to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work and put him under supervision for two years.

The sheriff added that the sentence was imposed as an alternative to custody.

November 2020

Shetland man jailed for ‘depraved’ spying on young girls with secret bathroom camera

An “utterly depraved” predator who installed a secret bathroom camera to spy on young girls in Shetland has been jailed for almost three years.

John Rankin’s voyeurism went undiscovered for close to a decade until he was caught with thousands of indecent images of children during a police raid last year.

After confiscating two desktop computers and a mobile phone from his house, officers found he had saved more than 12,600 still images and almost 1,700 videos.

All of the images featured boys and girls from toddler age up to 16 with creation dates between March 2011 and November 2019.

More than 900 of the images and videos were classed as category A – the most serious 

Rankin, 48, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday for sentencing, having previously admitted to creating and storing the photographs and videos.

The court heard that, while searching his devices, detectives found pictures showing him setting up a secret camera, and several clips where he had used the clandestine equipment to video girls as young as 12 using the toilet.

Additionally, officers discovered a recording of a woman getting dressed in a shop changing room in Lerwick.

Investigators said Rankin’s victims were “clearly unsuspecting”, and their families had been completely unaware of the secret recordings until they were asked to identify the people seen in the videos.

Sheriff William Summers branded Rankin’s actions as “utterly depraved”.

He said: “The charges to which you’ve pled guilty relate to a deplorable course of conduct, at times carrying on over a number of months or years.

“These amount to a gross breach of trust and are likely to have far-reaching consequences for the woman and children.”

Rankin, whose address was listed in court papers as Cogan Place, Barrhead, was jailed for 32 months and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

November 2008

Brentnall evades jail

A man who downloaded hundreds of indecent images of children from the internet has walked free from court.

Paul Brentnall, from Mossbank, was caught after his estranged wife found the images on his computer after he moved out of their house in Wiltshire.

And when the 46-year-old was arrested at his new home in Shetland officers found he had been at it again.

Lynne Henderson, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court this week that in November or December 2006 the defendant left his wife when they lived in Moormead Road, Wroughton.

She said he left a personal com­puter and a laptop and his wife asked a family friend to look at them because of what she found.

The family friend stopped quickly after finding indecent pictures on the machines and they were handed over to the police. Officers found 372 of the images on the computers, including 24 in the worst two categories.

Miss Henderson said Wiltshire officers flew to Shetland in Nov­ember last year and with the permis­sion of the islands’ sheriff arrested Brentnall.

When they questioned him he assured them there would be no more similar pictures on his new computer.

But when it was searched it was found to contain 32 more indecent images of children including two in the worst two categories. He told police he could not fathom how they got there and said he had erasing software on the new computer.

Brentnall pleaded guilty to one count of possessing and three of making indecent images of children. The court heard that though he ad­mit­ted a further count of possession and making of similar images they took place in Scotland, and could only be prosecuted there.

Michael Cullum, defending, said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity. Much of the material had been sent to him by people he was com­municating with over the internet, the court was told.

Mr Cullum said his client suffered from sleep apnoea and had to sleep with a mask because of the condition. He said his client was keen to accept help for what he had done and was being supported by his new partner.

Judge William Hart imposed a community order and told him to be under supervision for 18 months, do 120 hours of unpaid work and pay £250 costs. He will have to register as a sex offender for five years.

February 2019: Last week Morrison was successful in appealing against the sentence. On 19 February the High Court in Edinburgh reduced the jail term to ten months.

December 2018

Lerwick man handed prison sentence after downloading over 21,000 indecent images and videos of children

A man from Lerwick who downloaded over 21,000 indecent photos and videos of children has been sent to prison for 20 months.

Ross Robert Morrison, of Burgh Road, previously pleaded guilty at Lerwick Sheriff Court to “taking or permitting to be taken” the images at an address in Lerwick on or between December 3, 2016, and January 16 this year.

The court previously heard that the images and videos recovered by police on Morrison’s laptop were both described as “accessible and inaccessible”, with the latter meaning they had been deleted.

The images and videos covered the three classifications A, B and C, with A being the most serious.

Most of the images and videos were category C, with over 21,000 inaccessible images found in that classification as well as nearly 300 inaccessible videos.

There were no ‘accessible’ images or videos in category A or B, but there were 15 inaccessible category A pictures and three videos.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie previously told the court that all of the images and videos found contained girls, with some as young as five years old, adding that Morrison had frequented a Russian image website.

At Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday, defence agent Tommy Allan said his client had struggled to cope with the fact that he had committed the offence.

The solicitor added that Morrison could not explain how he got into the situation where he was viewing the images.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said he struggled to understand how someone could view that amount of images and videos “without a purpose”.

He noted that guidelines meant that the classification of the images had to be taken into account when sentencing.

The sheriff ruled there was no alternative to custody and he gave Morrison an extended sentence of 44 months.

This comprised a 20 month prison sentence followed by an extended period of 24 months on licence. Morrison was also placed on the sex offenders register.

October 2018

Shetland man admits downloading more than 21,000 indecent images and videos of children

A man from Lerwick who admitted downloading over 21,000 indecent photos and videos of children will be sentenced in December.

Ross Robert Morrison, of Burgh Road, pleaded guilty at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday to “taking or permitting to be taken” the images at an address in Lerwick on or between 3 December 2016 and 16 January 2018.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie told the court that the images and videos spanned all of the categories of classification.

He said the offence came to light after police undertook a search warrant at the 46-year-old’s address, with officers finding indecent images of children on a laptop which they had seized.

Morrison admitted the device was his and “reiterated that his partner was completely oblivious” to his actions.

Mackenzie said images and videos recovered were both described as “accessible and inaccessible”, with the latter meaning they had been deleted.

The images and videos covered the three classifications A, B and C, with A being the most serious.

Most of the images and videos were category C, with over 21,000 inaccessible images found in that classification as well as nearly 300 inaccessible videos.

There were no ‘accessible’ images or videos in category A or B, but there were 15 inaccessible category A pictures and three videos.

Mackenzie said all of the images and videos found contained girls, with some as young as five years old, adding that Morrison had frequented a Russian image website.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank said Morrison would be subject to notification requirements under the sexual offences act and warned him that there is “only one likely outcome” when he is sentenced.

He continued Morrison’s bail ahead of his next appearance on 5 December.

October 2018

Man remanded in custody

A MAN has been remanded in custody after admitting possessing over 150 indecent images and videos of children.

Andrew Goodlad, of Grampian Prison, pleaded guilty when he appeared from custody at Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday to the charge which took place on or between 25 September last year and 12 July at an address in Lerwick while on bail.

Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said the offence came to light when police asked to see the 25-year-old’s mobile phone to “timestamp” an unrelated incident which they were taking a statement for.

Search criteria on the mobile suggested to officers that there may be indecent images on the phone, so they arrested him.

A day later the police retrieved a laptop from his address before he admitted there were indecent images on his mobile.

More devices were seized by the police and 92 indecent videos in total were found, with 43 of them in the most serious ‘A’ category.

A total of 73 indecent images were discovered, as well as 85 thumbnail previews of images.

Goodlad also admitted breaching bail conditions on three occasions between April and July.

His defence is due to give representation when the matter calls again at Lerwick Sheriff Court on 5 December.

Sheriff Ian Cruickshank deferred the case for social work reports and made Goodlad subject to sexual offences notification requirements. A crown request for forfeiture of the devices was also granted.