Alexander McArthur

Alexander McArthur, a 30-year-old former police officer with Grampian Police, has been sentenced for possessing a large collection of child pornography downloaded from the internet. The offences occurred between April and August 2002, while McArthur was still serving in the force's control room at headquarters in Aberdeen.

McArthur admitted to having 5,613 indecent photographs and 148 video images of children, all obtained by downloading material onto computers at his home. He used his credit card to purchase access time and images from a child pornography website. His activities came to light following a raid on the American-based company Landslide, as part of the international Operation Ore investigation targeting internet paedophiles.

At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, McArthur was put on probation for three years and ordered to attend an 18-month sex offenders treatment course. He was also required to complete 300 hours of community service and was placed on the sex offenders register. Sheriff Alexander Jessop, who deferred sentencing to personally view some of the images depicting children aged between five and 15, described the material as 'personally repulsive' and emphasised that 'these children are victims of crime'.

McArthur's defence advocate, Shaid Latif, explained that the offender had been under 'emotional stress' due to the break-up of a relationship and had received death threats as a first offender. A social inquiry report assessed McArthur as posing a low risk to the community. Initially, McArthur pleaded not guilty and attempted to have the case dismissed on a technicality, claiming the police search of his flat was unlawful. However, after the sheriff rejected this challenge in September 2003, he changed his plea to guilty.

Grampian Police issued a statement expressing deep regret that a serving officer had been involved in such activities, which they described as abhorrent to every right-minded adult. McArthur, who had served in the force for nine years, is no longer employed by them. A spokesman for the child protection charity Children 1st noted that while the court opted for a non-custodial sentence, it was essential that the offending behaviour be addressed to prevent repetition of crimes against children.

This case highlights the challenges in combating online child exploitation, with Operation Ore uncovering numerous similar instances across the UK. The sentencing occurred on 16 October 2003.