Kennoway man’s computer contained thousands of child abuse images

Police found more than 15,000 child abuse images and more than 200 videos on the computer of a Kennoway man, Cupar Sheriff Court has heard.

Gregor Thacker, 20, of Hill Road, admitted possessing the images at his home address. They had been downloaded on various dates between 2006 and 2011.

The court heard Thacker had cooperated with an investigation, which began after police received confidential information and visited his home.

He gave them the code to his encrypted computer and volunteered to go to a police station to make a statement.

The severity of the images and videos varied from levels one to four on the ascending Copine Scale.

There were 14,656 images and 91 videos at level 1, 152 images and 25 videos at level 2, 234 images and 37 videos at level 3 and 187 images and 52 videos at level 4.

Thacker’s defence agent said he had been 14 when he began downloading the images.

Sheriff Charles Macnair deferred sentence until November 21 and continued bail.