A Montrose man who tried to blame his brother for a stash of child abuse and other extreme indecent images has avoided a jail term.
Andrew Duncan’s home, which he shared with his parents and siblings, was raided by police last year following a tip-off. Computers belonging to him and his toy shop worker brother Steven Duncan were seized by officers.
Investigators found a large haul of child abuse images on Steven’s computers – an offence that last month saw him sentenced to a community payback order and placed on the sex offenders register after he admitted his guilt.
Andrew Duncan denied any involvement in downloading and possession of the indecent material found on his computers, which involved images of young girls being abused and bestiality.
The accused claimed he had it as part of an ethical hacking course he was taking at Abertay University.
Duncan, 24, of Market Street, denied three charges on indictment of possessing and taking or making indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornographic images.
A jury of eight men and seven women took just an hour to find him guilty by majority of the child abuse image charges and unanimously of the extreme pornography charge.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC imposed a community payback order with 240 hours unpaid work and placed him on the sex offenders register for one year.
She said: “Having regard to the reports and evidence about the number and category of images I can deal with this by way of a community payback order.”