Woman admits child porn charges

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8118429.stm

Version 0 of 1.

A sheriff has told a woman who was caught with indecent images of children that he may not view them in case he passes sentence in a state of "anger".

Emma Griffin, 24, admitted downloading 464 indecent images of children at her home in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire.

The town's sheriff court heard some of the images showed babies being abused.

Sentence on Griffin was deferred and she was remanded in custody. Sheriff Alistair Watson also placed her on the sex offenders' register.

The court heard how police were acting on a tip-off when they raided Griffin's home last October and removed a computer hard drive.

Officers questioned her partner before the investigation focused on her.

It is better not to sentence anyone while in a position of upset or anger Sheriff Alistair Watson

Indecent images found on the hard drive were found to have been downloaded from the internet either free of charge or paid for by credit card.

Douglas Macphee, defending, said he had commissioned a psychological report on Griffin to establish her own problems and whether she could have been taking the blame for her partner.

The report, he said, established she had committed the offence and had suffered sexual abuse as a child.

Sheriff Watson said he would consider whether he should view the images before sentencing Griffin.

He said: "I would prefer not to. It is better not to sentence anyone while in a position of upset or anger.

"Those who participate in downloading, viewing and paying for such images simply fuel the industry that causes children to be abused."