A paedophile caught with sickening images of babies being sexually abused has been spared a prison stretch.
Tristram Tolmie, 31, was ordered to perform unpaid work and attend a programme which works with deviants in Renfrewshire.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register while he is being supervised closely by the local authority.
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Tolmie of Dean Park, Renfrew, was snared by cops after he searched for and downloaded more than 500 photos and videos of youngsters being violated.
Paisley Sheriff Court heard he had deliberately hoarded indecent images on computer devices at his home for more than six years.
Tolmie had also scoured the internet for vile material featuring the sexual abuse and exploitation of youngsters for more than three years, until he was rooted out and arrested by child protection cops.
He appeared for sentencing yesterday after pleading guilty to a charge of having in his possession indecent photographs of children between dates September 15, 2014 and October 14, 2020.
He also admitted taking indecent photographs or permitting indecent photographs of children to be taken on dates September 3, 2018 and October 14, 2020.
The court heard cops swooped on his house on October 14 last year and removed his computers.
Forensic analysis revealed a computer hard disk contained 52 indecent images, both still and moving, of children.
His tower PC had 480 indecent images, both still and moving, stored on it.
These devices contained a mixture of Category A, B and C images and movies.
Many featured girls aged between ten and 15 years old.
However, some of the Category A images involved baby girls aged from six months.
Other files depicted the sexual exploitation of young girls aged between three and 14.
The Express revealed that Tolmie was forced into hiding on August 4, following his conviction at Paisley Sheriff Court last month.
An angry demonstration in the Renfrew community led to his being escorted from his home by police.
Defence agent Tony Callahan said his client has “shown shame and remorse” for the offences.
He said: “This conviction has cost him his relationship with his family.
“It has also cost him his job. He has expressed his shame and remorse for this matter.
“But he knows he has to be punished for these serious offences.”
He asked the court to spare Tolmie custody given that he is a first offender and that he pleaded guilty to the charges at the earliest opportunity.
Sheriff Tom McCartney, who studied background reports prior to disposing of the case, said he was prepared to hand him a sentence as a “direct alternative to custody.”
He said: “I can deal with this serious matter by imposing a sentence as a direct alternative to custody.”
He ordered that Tolmie perform 200 hours of unpaid work for the benefit of the community within 12 months.
He also ordered that he be placed on the Moving Forward, Making Changes programme, which works with sex offenders in Renfrewshire, for three years.
He was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years.
