A CARDENDEN man was sentenced to 300 hours of unpaid work and given a three year supervision requirement for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Brian Wotherspoon (54), of Carden Castle Park, pleaded guilty to three charges: to take or permit to be taken or make indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children and to have in his possession the images between the 9th August 2013 and 20th October 2013, and to distributing these images between 20th August and 24th October 2013.

Sheriff William Wood said, “I am inclined to deal with matters with a custodial sentence given the distribution.

“Somewhere a child is being abused. It is real for somebody somewhere. The distribution charge goes a step beyond looking at these images.

“If you breach any of these conditions you will be sent to jail as if the order had never been made. It is a difficult one for you because you have children and grand-children but the orders are not for a convenience for courts they are made for the safety of the public and children. This is not anyone else's fault that this has happened other than your own.” Wotherspoon will also take part in the moving forward making changes group programme, will have to stay in accomodation approved by a social worker and is not to use internet-accessing devices.