Former Motherwell children's worker back in jail after being caught with more indecent images

Police found porn on devices belonging to Alan McDonald when they went to his home in Forgewood Road, Motherwell, to take him back to prison.

McDonald (44) was jailed for 35 months at Hamilton Sheriff Court when he admitted downloading the images in October 2016. Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen ordered him to be supervised for 12 months on his release.

He was given four months in 2002 for downloading 600 obscene images to a works computer while volunteering on a North Lanarkshire Council youth project in Coatbridge.

At the High Court in Glasgow in 2013, he was jailed for six years after police uncovered 258,000 indecent images at his flat and 758 video clips of children being abused.

He was on early release from that six-year sentence when caught with more indecent images. McDonald was being recalled after allegedly breaching the conditions of his licence.

Callum Forsyth, prosecuting, said: “Police allowed him the opportunity to dress and he was escorted to his bedroom.

“An officer noticed a tablet on his bed which appeared to be displaying an indecent image. The item was seized and a search warrant was granted for the property. The tablet contained nine indecent images and a pen drive, which was also examined, had five. These depicted females aged between four and 12 posing in underwear or swimwear.”

Defence agent Joanne Gray said McDonald was at liberty for two months in 2016 before police took him back to prison.

She said: “He has been in custody since, so has completed the six-year sentence received at the High Court.”