An Angus care home resident who downloaded indecent child images on to his laptop has been fined.
Raymond Canale, who lives in an Arbroath home, appeared at Forfar Sheriff Court for sentence after he admitted a charge under indictment.
The court heard the single man was caught after a maintenance man at Antiquary House, Westway, noticed unusual tabs open in the browser of a laptop while he was fixing something in the 84-year-old’s room.
Canale admitted the charge following a lengthy trial in which a forensic specialist analysed the contents of the laptop. It had been forfeited along with a printer.
Depute fiscal Hannah Kennedy said the maintenance man had been asked by Canale to have a look at the laptop, which had been playing up, in August 2012.
He could see a number of open tabs related to “teens” and notified his manager, who reported it to the police.
Solicitor Sarah Russo said her client’s position was he had searched for a domain name he believed he had registered for a breakfast food, brekteenies.
Canale maintained he had bought the laptop for £100 from a Carnoustie man and the images 168 at the lowest end of the definitive scale were already on it.
However, he also admitted to police he had searched for “pretty faces” and it was “luck” what the searches returned.
Canale admitted possession of indecent photographs or pseudo- photographs of children at Antiquary House, Westway, in August 2012.
Sentencing him, visiting sheriff Simon Collins said he found it “very concerning” that Canale’s submission that he did not download the images did not square with the creation dates on thumbnails still on the computer, which were consistent with his ownership.
Canale was fined £1,000 as he was found unsuitable for unpaid work as part of a community payback order.
A spokeswoman for Balhousie Care Group said: “It is always company policy to report any incidents or allegations to appropriate authorities and investigate wrongdoings to ensure the safety of all residents and visitors to our homes.
“All staff are trained to raise any concerns to line management in a confidential and professional nature.”