A man caught with child abuse images on his mobile phone has avoided a prison sentence.
James Hurles was charged after police raided his home in Ringwell Gardens, Stonehouse, in June last year.
Hurles, 24, now of Gillbank Avenue, Carluke, was placed on the sex offenders’ register for three years when he appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court.
He will be under the supervision of social workers for the same period and must carry out 180 hours of unpaid community work.
Hurles admitted downloading indecent images of children over a one-year period.
The court heard police went to his home at 7am and were met by his mother. Hurles was found in his bedroom upstairs. His phone was seized and found to contain 86 indecent photos of children, including seven images in the most depraved category.
The images featured male and female children, aged approximately one to 12 years.
Sheriff Ray Small told Hurles that, given some of the images were deemed to be Category A, a jail sentence had to be considered.
But he had decided that a direct alternative, including counselling and participation in the Moving Forward, Making Changes programme, was “the way to go”.
The sheriff said: “Given your lack of previous offending and the fact social workers say work can be done with you, I’m prepared to place you on a lengthy community-based order.”
The order will include restrictions on Hurles’s internet use.
.png?w=600)
