A training company boss was jailed today after being caught with the "most serious" category of child porn.
Raymond Coney, 69, admitted downloading child abuse photos from the dark web using the so-called Tor browser, which is supposed to hide Internet-users' identities.
Falkirk Sheriff Court heard that police armed with a search warrant raided Coney's home in Buchlyvie, West Stirlingshire, last August (2020) acting on information received.
The court was told more than 40 child abuse images classed as Category A - the most serious kind of child porn - were found on his computer and mobile phone, together with nearly 70 category B and C photos.
Coney pleaded guilty to downloading child porn at his home, Claymires Cottage, Buchlyvie, over a period of more than two and a half years, between January 2018 and August 3rd last year (2020) when the raid took place.
Coney is listed by Companies House as having been at the time a director of education firm Training Academy.UK Ltd, which was voluntarily dissolved on May 11th this year (2021).
Sheriff Craig Harris jailed Coney for seven months, and placed him on the sex offender's register for 10 years.
Detective Inspector Adrian Ure, of Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "Raymond Coney’s behaviour was appalling and demonstrated a complete and utter disregard for the young victims depicted in the images he was viewing.
In committing these crimes, he mistakenly believed that the internet would provide anonymity and allow him to undertake his offending undetected.
"However as a result of our investigation he will now rightly face the consequences of his actions.
Any form of child sexual abuse is a serious criminal offence and is a priority for Police Scotland. We encourage anyone with concerns about a child at risk of abuse, or a potential victim, to contact police immediately."
