An ex-soldier who was caught with live bullets and a bedside bomb when police raided his home looking for child abuse images has blamed his offending on cocaine.
Officers swooped on Christopher Moore’s Perthshire home after a tip-off that he had been downloading indecent images of children.
Investigators were surprised to discover two green cylinders – with the words “bomb” and “explosives” clearly printed on them – stored in a paint tub in his bedroom.
Bomb disposal experts were scrambled to his then-home in Chapel Court, Aberfeldy, to assess the danger.
They searched the property and discovered rounds of live ammunition.
Perth Sheriff Court heard a stash of child abuse files, including several at the highest end of the obscenity scale, were also uncovered.
Real children abused
Moore, 37, admitted having bullets without a firearms certificate on July 27, last year.
He also pled guilty to downloading child abuse images.
He returned to court for sentence on Monday.
Sheriff Gillian Wade told him: “Obviously these are, in themselves, serious offences.
“I think you have come to realise that viewing images of children involves the abuse of a real child.
“The number of images in your case was small but that does not mean children were not suffering to feed the appetite of people like you that commit these types of offences.”
Moore, of Claremont Gardens, Aberdeen, was ordered to carry out 230 hours of unpaid work.
He was placed on supervision and will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for two years.
Cocaine to blame
Solicitor David Holmes said his client was an “enthusiastic participant” in the Stop It Now course for sex offenders.
“This man has realised that his main problem was that he had been taking cocaine to blot out personal problems,” said Mr Holmes.
“When he took cocaine, he lost control.”
Mr Holmes stressed Moore had no intention of using the bullets.
Explosive experts
When police raided his home, Moore told them: “I need to show you something that I’m probably going to get the jail for.”
Fiscal depute Michael Sweeney told the court: “The accused made his way into the bedroom and produced a paint tub from the floor.
“He removed the lid and stated it contained live ammunition.”
Mr Sweeney said: “He said he was ex-military and these were trophies.”
The items were x-rayed by explosive ordnance disposal officers and found to be empty.
Of the 23 illicit images found on an SD card in his room, six were at Category A – the most serious – and seven at level B.
Moore later told police: “They were sent to me by someone.
“I don’t like looking at stuff like that.”
