Behind bars: headteacher caught with 3,000 child porn images

Published on Friday 30 October 2009 21:21

A FORMER headteacher is behind bars after he was caught with almost 3,000 child porn images.

David Wilson was arrested during the Operation Algebra investigation that snared Scotland's biggest paedophile ring.

Detectives found that he had communicated with one of the gang, John Milligan, who was branded "a prolific distributor" of indecent images.

Wilson, who at the time was headteacher of Auchmuty High School in Glenrothes, Fife, was in the dock yesterday at the High Court in Glasgow.

Wilson, 48, admitted charges of possessing and downloading child pornography between 16 May, 2004, and 19 December, 2008.

Lord Kinclaven remanded Wilson in custody for what he called "very serious offences".

Wilson, who was put on the sex offenders list, showed no emotion as he was led to the cells. He now faces a lengthy prison sentence when he returns to court next month.

The court was told Lothian and Borders Police had swooped on Milligan's home as part of Operation Algebra, which had been set up to catch paedophiles.

Prosecutor Bernard Ablett said Milligan, who was recently sentenced to 17 years for a string of child sex charges – was "prolific" in sending images of youngsters being abused to other perverts.

It was discovered that Milligan had communicated with an individual called "Dwillpower1" by e-mail on 14 February, 2008. This was found to be Wilson, and detectives moved in on his flat in Millstream Court, Paisley, on 19 December.

A total of 2,969 indecent pictures and movie clips were found on an Apple Macintosh computer, hard drives and discs. The court heard that more than 1,000 of the files included the worst levels of child porn classified by police and prosecutors.

Mr Ablett told the court: "Clear expressions of pain and distress can be seen on the children."

It was also discovered that Wilson made searches for images of young boys on two other laptops.

The headteacher was later quizzed by detectives and said: "Well, if (indecent images] are on my computer, then they are obviously on my computer."

However, he made no comment when he was asked if he had downloaded them for his own gratification.

Wilson also yesterday faced a charge of distributing child porn, but his plea of not guilty was accepted.

The court was told that he resigned from Auchmuty High in February this year after almost three years at the school.

His lawyer, Joseph Barr, said the former headteacher had a "fairly exceptional career", but it was "now in ruins".

Mr Barr added that Wilson, who now lived with his elderly parents, had only communicated by e-mail with Milligan and had no "direct contact" with him.

He said Wilson had downloaded from a file-sharing website and had no knowledge that the images had come from Milligan, or indeed who he was.

UNREAD REPORT

OPPOSITION parties have criticised justice secretary Kenny MacAskill after he admitted that he had not read a report on Scotland's worst paedophile ring.

Neil Strachan, 41, and James Rennie, 38, both from Edinburgh, received life sentences on Thursday for a catalogue of child pornography offences.

Mr MacAskill told the BBC: "There is a report which has been carried out by both police and social work to look to learn lessons from this." But he then admitted that he had not read it.

Tory leader Annabel Goldie said it was an "extraordinary" admission. "His primary duty is to protect the public. How on earth can he do that if he won't read the report?"

Liberal Democrat leader Tavish Scott called on Mr MacAskill to make a statement to parliament on the issue.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The report is finalised and we expect to receive it soon."