A paedophile who was cleared of a trans-Atlantic sextortion scam has been placed on the sex offender’s register after police found child abuse images on his computer.
Mathew Watt, 24, admitted downloading indecent images of children between July 2019 and May 2020.
He also admitted having illicit material between April and May 2020.
Watt is now not allowed to spend any time unaccompanied with children under the age of 18 as part of strict court-imposed conduct requirements.
He also has to register all of his internet enabled devices, mobile phones and tablets with authorities to make sure he is not downloading any more images.
Watt, of Rowanbank Gardens, Broughty Ferry, must also take part in the Tay programme designed at rehabilitating sexual offenders.
He will be on a supervision order for three years.
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A jury earlier cleared Matthew Watt of sexual extortion charges but was then told that he had pled guilty to two charges relating to the illegal material.
He was on trial accused of extortion and attempted extortion involving nude images of his alleged victims.
After the trial ended in his acquittal, fiscal depute Stewart Duncan told Dundee Sheriff Court that Watt had already admitted other charges.
“At the time he was a student at Dundee and Angus College,” Mr Duncan said.
“During a search of his house a phone and computer tower were recovered.”
Both devices were found to contain explicit images of child abuse, including a three-minute video of a girl aged between 12 and 14 being raped.
The court was told that Watt – an art and design student – believed his offences were “fuelled by alcohol”.
Sentence was deferred for reports and Sheriff Alistair Carmichael warned Watt that he could be sent to prison.
Several of the jurors who had found six charges of sexual extortion levelled at Watt not proven looked shocked when they were informed about his child abuse haul.
He was cleared of trying to blackmail an American housewife and two transgender students – who were female at the time – into sending him explicit selfies online.
He had denied plotting to extort sexual material from the trio and claimed he was carrying out a photography project.
He admitted to the jury that he had asked one complainer for “thigh” shots but claimed she had been willing to take part in his college project.
The trial earlier heard a married woman give evidence via a transatlantic video link from the district attorney’s office in the US state of Virginia. She said she had been quizzed by the FBI after being targeted by a Scottish sex plot blackmailer.
The woman said he made vile threats and said he would tell her family she had sent images, which she had not.
Another witness, who has transitioned from female to male, told the court that Watt threatened to “blackmail” her if she refused to send him graphic selfies.
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