Pervert jailed after 2,000 pictures found

A FORMER Scottish Government worker who was caught with more than 2,000 indecent images of children as a result of an investigation into a paedophile ring in Edinburgh has been jailed for 20 months.

Christopher Black, 29, was caught after FBI officers tipped off Strathclyde Police following the operation in 2008.

His details were found on a computer during an earlier investigation that led to the sentencing of James Rennie and Neil Strachan to 13 years and 16 years respectively in 2009, after almost 125,000 images were found in Operation Algebra.

A later raid on Black's home in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, saw him arrested and he told detectives he had stored 2,058 images on three computers.

An earlier hearing at Hamilton Sheriff Court saw Black admit taking or permitting the taking of indecent photographs of children between January 2008 and February 2009.

Yesterday he was jailed and ordered to be placed on licence for 18 months after his release. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register indefinitely.

On a scale of one to five, five being the most severe, 958 pictures were ranked as level three, 684 level four and 32 at level five. As well as pictures, 47 movies were also found, including 14 at level four and four at level five.