Bellshill man caught with 32,000 indecent images of children avoids jail

Andrew Brailsford (30) was placed on the sex offenders’ register at Hamilton Sheriff Court, but will not be sent to jail.

He admitted downloading indecent images at his former home in Motherwell and his current address in Bellshill between December 2017 and May last year.

Paula Russell, prosecuting, said police carried out an early morning raid in McLean Drive on June 18 last year.

It followed information received from the national online child abuse prevention organisation.

Officers seized items including a laptop computer and a mobile phone. In total, there were 31,406 indecent photos of children as well as 404 video clips and 127 cartoon images.

The material featured boys and girls in the age range three to 15.

Before defence agent Diarmid Bruce spoke on behalf of his client, Sheriff Shiona Waldron indicated she would follow the recommendation of social workers and put Brailsford on a community payback order as an alternative to jail.

The sheriff told him he will be under supervision for three years and on the sex offenders’ register for the same period.

Brailsford must not have unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 17 without the approval of his social worker.

He must make officers from the police offenders management unit aware of any internet devices he has and make such appliances available for inspection.

Brailsford must also be assessed for North Lanarkshire Council’s ‘Moving Forward, Making Changes’ programme for offenders and carry out 225 hours of unpaid community work.