A PAEDOPHILE pensioner has dodged a jail sentence after being snared in possession of indecent images of children at the worst level possible.

David Wilson, 67, of Woodside Crescent, Alexandria, pleaded guilty at Dumbarton Sheriff Court last month to taking or permitting to be taken a quantity of indecent images of children. The offence happened at his home between October 15, 2015 and February 17, 2017.

Prosecutor Joanne Gilmour previously told the court: “On January 16, 2018, police in possession of a search warrant attended at Wilson’s home. The door was opened by the accused.

"Police showed him the warrant and told them why they were there. He told them ‘I have some on my mobile but it’s not porn’.

“Police carried out a systematic search and seized a Dell computer tower and a pen drive.

“An initial examination of the pen drive found moving indecent images of children at category A, the highest level. He was detained and taken to Greenock police office.

“He was interviewed under tape recorded conditions.

“A further examination of the Dell tower revealed 17 still images of male and female children aged between nine and 14 years old. They were all at categories B and C.

"The pen drive contained 16 moving images of female children aged between eight and 13 years old.

“Eleven of the moving images were at category A, three at category B and two at category C. 

"He was cautioned and charged and told police ‘I didn’t know I had it’."

Defence lawyer Tom Brown said: “He is fit to carry out unpaid work as part of the sentence. I have explained to him that it will be a direct alternative to a custodial sentence. I would be urging the court to go down that route.

“He had been on the internet and tells me that he had not been looking for child pornography. He accepts he had it on his pen drive.”

Sheriff Simon Pender told Wilson: “It is the moving images transferred to your pen drive that concern me.”

The sheriff, after considering a full social background report and a psychological report, including a risk assessment of the danger Wilson poses to young children, added: “Given you have no previous convictions, there is an alternative to custody, and that is a community payback order.

“You will be under the supervision of social work for 12 months.

“You will also carry out 225 hours of unpaid work, reduced from the maximum of 300 hours because of your early plea. You will complete the work within 12 months."

Wilson was also put on the sex offenders' register for 12 months.