A Tayside pensioner with a “depraved sexual interest in children” has been jailed after admitting using a “spy cam” to create sordid videos.
William Smith, 72, “abused the trust” of the children and families he groomed.
He made a series of clips, imposing his naked image onto pictures of school children.
He was caught with more than 3,000 obscene images and videos after more than a decade of offending.
Police uncovered hidden camera footage of a young girl changing into her pyjamas.
In another clip, Smith is seen flashing his penis in his living room, while standing behind a second young girl.
Smith, who appeared from custody for sentencing at Dundee Sheriff Court, kept his head bowed and showed no emotion as he was led to the cells to begin a 13-month sentence.
Sheriff Paul Brown reduced the term by five months because of his guilty plea.
‘Depraved sexual interest in children’
Defence solicitor Brian Bell had suggested Smith was suitable for a non-custodial sentence because of his age and lack of offending but Sheriff Brown disagreed.
He said to Smith: “These are serious offences.
“You have a depraved sexual interest in children.
“You persisted in this course of action for a long period of time.
“You abused the trust placed in you by these children by preying on them.
“The use of a hidden camera is of particular concern.
“I note your age, history of work and lack of previous convictions.
“But I see no alternative to a custodial sentence.”
Police raided Smith’s house
Smith admitted taking or permitting to take indecent photos of children at his home near Forfar between May 2009 and November 2020.
He also admitted engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a pre-teen girl in 2018.
At an earlier hearing, fiscal depute Lora Apostolova said officers acting on a tip-off raided Smith’s semi-detached home in February last year.
Investigators seized two laptops, a hard drive and the spy cam.
A total of 2,911 images and 62 videos with a running time of two hours were recovered.
Of these, 363 pictures and 41 films clips were at the highest level of obscenity.
They included pseudo-images in which a child – known to Smith – was superimposed onto the body of other naked children, tied up or involved in sexual activity and posing.
Further images showed the child taking a drink from a bottle but Smith had superimposed his penis in place of the bottle.
Accused looking for help
Defence solicitor Brian Bell, in mitigation for Smith, said although his client was deemed at “low risk” of repeat offending, he “struggled to provide appropriate insight” into his crimes.
“Notwithstanding the seriousness of the offences, they have been described as ‘non-contact’ offences.
“But I appreciate standing with his penis out behind a child does come close.
“Your lordship will see through the report he struggles to provide an appropriate insight into his behaviour.
“He indicates he wants the opportunity to understand why he engaged in this behaviour.”
Police welcome prison for ‘abhorrent’ crime
Detective Inspector Anna Johnston of Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigation Unit said the offending had been “abhorrent”.
“In committing these crimes online he was of the mistaken belief that the internet provided him with a level of anonymity which shielded him from law enforcement.
“William Smith was mistaken in this belief.
“Actions like his fuel a demand for the creation of horrific child abuse videos and images, each of which will have involved the sexual abuse of a child.
“William Smith now knows that there is no hiding place for offenders like him, and as a result of our investigation he will now rightly face a custodial sentence and the consequences of his actions.
“Any form of child sexual abuse is a serious criminal offence and is a priority for Police Scotland.”
“We encourage anyone with concerns about a child at risk of abuse, or a potential victim, to contact police immediately.”
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