A disgraced Army veteran and Inverness traffic warden, Darren Reid, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for his involvement in hoarding and sharing child sexual abuse material. The 53-year-old's secret life as a paedophile came to light following a police investigation into his online activities, leading to his exposure in Inverness Sheriff Court.
The case unfolded when police executed a search warrant at Reid's home on Highfield Avenue in Inverness, prompted by intelligence regarding his digital footprint. Officers seized a laptop and mobile phone, which Reid confirmed belonged to him and provided access PINs for. A subsequent cybercrime examination revealed a disturbing cache: more than 200 indecent images of children and 50 videos of child abuse material. Of these, 43 images and 33 videos were classified as category A, the most severe form of abuse, with the videos totalling three hours and 12 minutes in duration. Additionally, the devices contained images and videos of extreme pornography, including content featuring adult women and dogs.
Further analysis uncovered thousands of chat threads on messaging apps where Reid engaged with other individuals in discussions about child sexual abuse, sharing their preferences and exchanging images and videos. Fiscal depute Victoria Silver detailed these interactions to the court, stating: 'The individuals involved are discussing child sexual abuse and their own preferences as well as sharing images and videos.'
Reid's communications were particularly harrowing. In sickening text messages read out in court, he claimed to have sexually assaulted children in the past. One message read: 'As much as I like younger, I’m not into force' and 'You know I like younger girls'. He detailed alleged acts, including: 'my youngest boy was 10' followed by a description of a sex act performed on the child. In another confession, he wrote: 'I was 20 when I first touched a young boy, a year later I was with a nine-year-old girl.' Reid also claimed: 'I have known her since she was nine, she is 12, we have had sex.'
Reid first appeared in Inverness Sheriff Court on Armistice Day last month, pleading guilty to charges of downloading and distributing indecent images, as well as possessing extreme pornography. During that hearing, his defence solicitor, Stephanie Grieve, mentioned that Reid, a veteran of the Royal Irish Regiment, suffered from PTSD. Sheriff Gary Aitken responded sharply: 'Many veterans suffer from PTSD – it does not take them down this filthy rabbit hole. Of all days to be appearing for a matter of this kind.'
At the sentencing hearing today, Reid appeared unrepresented and declined the offer of new legal counsel. Sheriff Aitken imposed an 18-month custodial sentence, emphasising the severity of the offences. He told Reid: 'These offences are very far from being victimless. Every child you watched being abused was a real child. The comments you made (about sexually abusing a young boy and girl) were abhorrent in the extreme, and if they are true, they show you in a very poor light. But that may be for another day.' The sheriff added that there was no appropriate alternative to custody given the gravity of the charges.
The case, reported by The Press and Journal, highlights the ongoing efforts by Police Scotland to combat online child exploitation in the Highlands and Islands region.