A SCOTS property boss was caught with horrific child abuse images after he was snared in an undercover FBI sting.
Graeme Young downloaded more than 1,100 depraved images and videos of children being raped and sexually abused by adults to his mobile phone.
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The sick company director also engaged in “highly sexualised” chats about abusing children after joining an international online group of perverts.
But the 48-year-old, from Edinburgh, was caught after it emerged a member of the online paedo group was in fact an “undercover FBI operative”.
Police raided Young’s former home and seized several devices including an iPhone which was found to have the horror haul of images stored on them in July last year.
There was also evidence Young had taken “a series of images” of a young child and that he had sent a picture of the girl to a member of the online paedo group.
Young pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing and distributing indecent images of children in June and July last year when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.
He had a not guilty plea accepted by the Crown to possessing an extreme image of a male engaging in sexual activity with a horse.
Prosecutor Liz Paton told the court police executed a search warrant on Young’s former home on July 21 last year.
Young – who was commercial director of an Edinburgh-based property firm – was at home alone and several electronic devices were seized as part of the investigation.
Ms Paton said police found evidence of “a number of chat logs discussing the sexual abuse of children” and “highly sexualised group chats” with fellow perverts across the world.
The fiscal said: “On July 6 the accused had logged onto the Kik messenger app and was communicating with another party. We know now this was an undercover FBI officer.
“He was discussing in detail the sexual abuse of children and sexual references [to children].
“During the course of this, one Category B image was distributed.”
The court was told Young possessed 1,131 indecent images of children with 231 rated as Category A – the worst end of the spectrum – and a further 22 sickening videos.
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Young was back in the dock at the capital court on Friday where Sheriff Donald Corke said the company director had carried out “a very serious offence”.
The sheriff acknowledged “the custody threshold had been passed” but stopped short of imposing a jail sentence.
Young was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and a supervision order for three years and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work.
The sheriff also placed several restrictions on Young regarding his internet use and banned him from having any contact with anyone under the age of 16.
His name will also be forwarded to Scottish Ministers for him to be banned from working with children and vulnerable groups.
Solicitor Edward Cadden, defending, said Young was “ashamed and remorseful” about his offending and was engaging with the child abuse offenders’ organisation Stop It Now.
Young pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing, and to taking, indecent images of children between June 30 and July 21 last year.
He also admitted to distributing an indecent image of a child on July 6 last year.
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