Man admits having over 30,000 child porn images on computer

A MAN has admitted having an enormous stash of child pornography at his home which a sheriff today branded as "utterly shocking".

James McKenna, 42, had 31,139 still and moving images of young girls on his computer which included sex and bondage type situations.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard many of the young girls were over the age of 10 but some were younger.

Fiscal depute Ruth Ross-Davie said police received intelligence that a broadband internet account in the name of Seamus McKenna held an indecent moving image of a child.

The court heard the investigation led to McKenna and when his address was searched three computer hard drives were seized.

McKenna admitted he used the name Seamus but did not make any admissions as to the photographs.

Ms Ross-Davie said that he did add that the images had nothing to do with the lady he lived with.

McKenna admitted making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children between 11 December, 2007, and 4 September, 2009, at an address in the city.

Sheriff Deidre MacNeill QC told McKenna: "This was an enormous stash of child pornography, the contents of which even with the experience I have, I find utterly shocking."

She deferred sentence until next month on first offender McKenna, of Montgomery Street, Edinburgh, for background reports.

He was released on bail in the meantime and was put on the sex offenders register.