Ruaridh Swanson

Ruaridh Swanson, a 30-year-old man now residing in Edinburgh, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court for sentencing on charges related to child sexual abuse material. He had previously admitted to downloading indecent images of children between 21 December 2012 and 26 August 2020 while living at Abercrombie Place in Dunfermline. Additionally, he confessed to distributing or showing such images on 21 December 2012.

The offences spanned almost nine years, beginning when Swanson was 21 years old. The collection involved nearly 2000 images, with some classified in the most severe category A, which included depictions of young children being raped. Sheriff Charles Macnair emphasised the gravity of the crimes during the hearing, stating: 'These are not victimless crimes. The victims are the young children shown in the images.' He highlighted that Swanson continued the offending for eight years after starting at age 21.

Defence solicitor Aime Allan noted that Swanson was unemployed, lived with his parents, and had no prior convictions. She added that her client 'admits there is a sexual attraction there,' referring to the nature of the offences. Despite this, the sheriff imposed an 18-month custodial sentence. Immediately after the sentencing, Swanson collapsed in the dock but was quickly assisted by a custody officer, handcuffed, and led away in tears.

In addition to the jail term, Swanson has been placed on the sex offenders' register. The case was reported by Fife Today on 29 January 2022, underscoring the long-term impact of such crimes on victims and the judicial response to possession and distribution of child exploitation material.