Teenager Sentenced for Downloading Indecent Images of Children

A teenager has been placed under supervision and ordered to perform unpaid work after admitting to downloading indecent images and videos of children. Evan Moncrieff, 18, was discovered to have over two hours of such videos on his mobile phone following a police search in August 2024. Moncrieff, hailing from Tingwall, also acknowledged possessing 46 indecent images, including ten categorized as category A—the most serious classification.

The investigation into Moncrieff’s activities began after concerns were raised by his co-workers regarding the accounts he followed on social media. These accounts were reportedly sharing troubling content. Moncrieff had previously admitted to “taking, or permitting to be taken,” indecent images between April 6 and August 27, 2024, as well as possessing these images during a similar timeframe.

The court proceedings revealed that Moncrieff’s offending occurred when he was only 17 years old. Defence agent Ellen MacDonald stated that Moncrieff had received a “broadly positive” report from social workers after his sentence was deferred for background evaluations. According to MacDonald, Moncrieff had become “isolated from his peer group” during this time and was “attempting to fit in with a new group,” which led him down this troubling path.

During the police search, authorities found up to 11 category A videos and 10 category A still images of sexual abuse material on two iPhones. Moncrieff reportedly accessed 19 of the videos through conversations on the messaging app Telegram. MacDonald emphasized that her client “realized what he was doing was wrong,” noting that this was “not a victimless crime.” Moncrieff himself described the experience as “the stupidest thing he’s ever done,” calling it “dream-shattering and life-changing.”

At the time of his arrest, Moncrieff was at the final stage of recruitment to become a pilot in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and had already lost two jobs locally due to the charges. MacDonald remarked that he has “had to grow up quickly,” and she highlighted that he had been assessed as having a “low risk of reoffending.”

During the proceedings, Sheriff Ian Cruickshank acknowledged that Moncrieff was a first-time offender and pointed out his age at the time of the offences. He placed Moncrieff under supervision for a period of 12 months and mandated that he complete 120 hours of unpaid work within the next six months. Given Moncrieff’s age during the offences, he will not be subject to sexual offender notification requirements.

The case serves as a reminder of the serious implications of downloading and sharing indecent content, particularly regarding the welfare of vulnerable children. Authorities continue to stress the importance of vigilance in monitoring online activities to prevent such incidents from occurring.