A retired oil industry worker who downloaded child a buse images for more than seven years was today facing jail.
Andrew Hutton, 70, was caught after police raided his home in Campfield Street, Falkirk in May 2020, acting on information that an internet router at the address had been used to download indecent images of children.
Prosecutor Alistair McDermid said Hutton, who was home with his wife at the time of the 7.45 am police raid, initially denied ever having seen any indecent images of children on any computer or internet-enabled devices in the house.
However a search of the property revealed a number laptops and two USB sticks containing nearly 500 indecent photos and videos of children, some of them of the most serious category, featuring girls as young as four.
Mr McDermid said some of them had indicative filenames such as "PaedoIncestLolitaBondage".
Hutton, of Falkirk, pleaded guilty to downloading child porn between January 2013 to May 2020.
Defence solicitor Mark Harrower said Hutton was a retired, married man, and a first offender, who had worked all his life in the oil industry since the age of 15.
He said: "This was an occasional occurrence - his main interest was adult pornography.
"Whilst waiting for this case to come up, Mr Hutton has been slowly drinking himself to death."
Mr Harrower said a background report classed Hutton as at "low, low risk" of committing further sexual offences.
Sheriff Maryam Labaki deferred sentence until November 2nd for a background report.
She said: "A clear programme for rehabilitation would give the court structure for supervision, and also focus on alcohol abuse."
