A Perthshire paedophile was caught with a cache of obscene images including a video classed as “extreme pornography” of a woman having sex with a fish.
Police swooped on Calum Watson’s home in Blackford after learning devices at the property were being used to access horrific child abuse images.
Watson’s iPad was found to contain illicit images of girls as young as 10.
He appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted having the vile material over an eight-and-a-half month period.
The married father-of-two, who has since moved out of the area, was spared prison after the court heard he had already taken steps to rehabilitate himself.
Police raid
Sheriff Alison McKay was told how officers were granted a search warrant for 32-year-old Watson’s home, following intelligence that he had accessed illicit material.
Officers entered the property and found Watson with his wife.
“A number of devices were recovered and submitted for examination,” the fiscal depute said.
Watson’s iPad had sexual photos of female children aged between 10 and 13.
There were also images on his WhatsApp messaging service.
“There was a further extreme porn video recovered, featuring the sexual penetration of an adult female by a fish,” the prosecutor said. “The duration was one minute and 29 seconds.”
Watson pled guilty to downloading child abuse material at his Blackford home between July 12 and August 16 2022.
He further admitted having child abuse images between July 12 2022 and March 28 2023, and have an extreme pornographic image depicting sex between an adult female and an animal between January 23 and March 28 last year.
Alternative to prison
Solicitor David Holmes, defending, highlighted “positive” sentencing reports prepared by social workers.
They showed he had started taking steps to address his offending.
Mr Holmes said his client was a first offender with no outstanding cases.
Sheriff McKay told Watson: “I expressed some concern about your behaviour when I heard the circumstances of this case.
“But these are positive reports, and you have already taken matters into your own hands.
“As a result of that, I am looking at punishment rather than rehabilitation or assistance.
“But I need you to understand this sentence is being imposed as a direct alternative to custody.”
Watson was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
He was placed on the sex offenders register for five years.
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