A police computer expert who downloaded thousands of vile child porn images has been put behind bars.
Former Perth and Kinross Council employee Joseph McCabe admitted having over 13,000 pictures and films on his home computer. Over 200 were rated among the most severe level of abuse.
The 51-year-old, of High Street, Perth, was working as an IT trainer for the Metropolitan Police in London at the time of his arrest in April last year. Tayside Police officers raided McCabe’s former home in Bridge of Earn after they received information about his habits.
He immediately confessed and pleaded guilty in court to possessing 13,358 indecent photographs of children and 33 indecent films at a house in Bridge of Earn between March 10, 2008, and April 15 last year.
At Wednesday’s hearing at Perth Sheriff Court, solicitor John Boyle said, “Mr McCabe found himself on a downward spiral. What had started as an interest in adult pornography quickly descended to these offences.
“He subscribed to numerous news groups where this material was accessible. On subscribing, there are a number of folders which become images. The subscriber has to download the folders. Essentially it’s an all-or-nothing procedure you’re not able to view images without downloading them.
“He would download them en masse. It would take a significant period of time and then he would later download these images at his leisure.”
He said McCabe was mainly interested in images at the lower end of the scale and he found more serious ones “disgusting”.
However, Sheriff Michael Fletcher noted there were some, including videos, at level four and five on the scale for measuring severity the highest possible.
He jailed McCabe for 14 months and placed him on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said, “I can confirm that an external contractor, briefly employed by the MPS for two months, was arrested by Tayside Police. The contractor worked in human resources as an administrator. The contractor no longer works for the MPS.”
McCabe has previously worked for Perth and Kinross and Highland councils as an education officer.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesman said, “We can confirm that this person is not currently employed by the council and was not employed by the council at the time of the alleged offences.”