A Burntisland man who admitted he has an unhealthy attraction to young girls, after being caught with indecent images of children on his computer, has avoided a jail term.
Laurie Candlish, 32, had 2,344 images and 42 videos on his computer of girls aged between five and 14 when it was searched by police. The images and films showed the girls in various states of undress.
Under police interview, Candlish admitted he had “an unhealthy attraction to 10 to 14-year-old girls and had done since his teenage years.”
Candlish admitted that between January 1 2009 and November 5 2013, at an address in Piper Crescent, Burntisland, he took or permitted to be taken or made indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children.
Sheriff Grant McCulloch said: “A custodial sentence is an option, however, the fact that your family is staying with you and your employer is staying with you and the fact you recognise the requirement to change, are facts which hopefully mean you will desist in this behaviour.”
He sentenced him to a three-year community payback order including 150 hours’ unpaid work and not to be in the company of children under the age of 17.
He was placed on the sex offenders register for three years.