Legal profession bans solicitor found guilty of distributing child abuse images

A solicitor who used the internet to distribute images of child abuse has been banned from working in the legal profession.

John Urquhart, 68, will never be able to work as a lawyer again following a ruling made on Tuesday by the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal.

Urquhart, of Kirkcaldy, was handed a community payback order after being convicted of charges at Dunfermline Sheriff Court in October 2014.

He was given a community payback order and placed on the sex offenders register after pleading guilty to making and distributing indecent images of children.

The court heard how police detained Urquhart after visiting his house in December 2013. Detectives seized his computer and found that possessed 75 illegal snaps.

A written judgment issued by the tribunal tells of how Urquhart believed he had not done anything wrong at the time of his arrest.

The judgment states: “He admitted the convictions and admitted that they brought the profession into disrepute.

“He had great remorse and regret.”