Ex-serviceman claims 4,000 indecent child images are ‘art’

A FORMER serviceman caught with over 4,000 indecent images of young girls tried to claim the snaps were pieces of art, a court has heard.

Peter Clifford, 32, told stunned cops that he didn’t think the images, which were downloaded from the Internet, were obscene.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court today heard how Clifford, of Dunbar, East Lothian, was snared after Lothian and Borders Police received intelligence from specialist anti-child porn investigators.

Clifford - who was forced out of the RAF after being convicted for the same offence in 2003 - had his house searched and was quizzed by officers.

When Clifford was interviewed at a police station, he asked stunned detectives what their definition of obscene photos were. He then tried to claim the images he had were artistic photographs.

Clifford pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing 4,488 indecent images of children aged between 10 to 15 years old between September 7, 2010, and May 2011, before Sheriff Paul Arthurson.

Sheriff Arthurson deferred sentence in order for the court to obtain reports.

Depute procurator fiscal Dev Kapadia told the court that local policemen swooped on Clifford after receiving intelligence about his activities on the world wide web.

Officers raided his then home in Haddington, East Lothian, and found over 4,000 illegal photographs of children. Mr Kapadia said specially trained officers viewed the photographs - and determined the vast majority were of level one status, the least serious category of child pornography.

Mr Kapadia said: “Police acted on intelligence received from specialist investigators. They attended at the house where he stayed at with his mother.

“He was taken into custody. He maintained the images were artistic and not obscene. He asked the officers what their definition of obscenity was.

“The images showed young girls aged between 10 to 15 years old being either semi naked or naked. “He answered no comment to the other questions asked by the officers and did not respond to caution or charge.”

Mr Kapadia also revealed that Clifford was convicted in 2003 of possessing indecent images.

Clifford was serving in the RAF at the time and was forced to quit the air force after he was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years.

Mr Kapadia added: “He has one previous conviction which relates to the same kind of offence. He was discharged from the RAF in 2003.

“He was convicted at the time of possessing 800 indecent images.”

Sheriff Arthurson deferred sentence on Clifford until next month in order for the court to obtain reports about his character.