An Angus man found with a haul of indecent child images on his computer has been spared jail.
David Reany, 20, of Lethnot Road, Arbroath, walked free after his solicitor successfully argued that imposing a custodial sentence was not in the public interest.
Sheriff Peter Paterson at Arbroath imposed a community payback order for three years with a supervision requirement after admitting he found Reany’s case “extremely difficult to deal with”.
Reany whose family turned out to support him in court was also placed on the sex offenders register for three years and must attend the Tay Project with a review fixed for August 20.
The sentence also bans him from accessing the internet or having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 17 without approval from his supervising officer.
Reany originally appeared on indictment of possession of indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children between February 12 and 15 last year.
The court heard that factory worker Reany, who lives at home with his parents, had been the subject of police investigation after officers were alerted to inappropriate conversations with girls aged 15 and 17 via a website.
A search warrant was obtained and officers found a laptop and two electronic notebooks containing 954 live images ranging from levels one to four on the Crown’s definitive scale.
A further 11,435 pictures were found that were deemed “concerning” although not indecent. Reany’s solicitor Ian Flynn said his client was a young man who had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Mr Flynn said: “They were all for personal use by a young man who has a stable family background. His entire family is here in support of him and will continue to support him.”
Mr Flynn said the social work report had recommended a community-based disposal for three years rather than a jail term.
He added: “I would submit that would satisfy the court and the public interest. If he was to be incarcerated it would only be for a short period.
“There is nothing to be gained, other than a warning to others, by imprisoning David Reany.”
Social worker Alison Hendry told the sheriff: “We would be recommending a community-based disposal to reduce the risk of reoffending in the future.”
After much deliberation, Sheriff Paterson told Reany: “I find this extremely difficult to deal with.
“There are sufficient mitigating factors in this case to allow me to impose a community-based disposal for a period of three years.
“This is a direct alternative to custody,” he added.
“I think society is better served with you receiving treatment.”
Reany will come before the court for a progress review in three months.