Court / Lerwick man awaits sentencing after another conviction for indecent images
A LERWICK man twice jailed for possessing indecent photographs of children is to be sentenced after being caught with more indecent images.
David Bruce, 64, admitted having 29 category C images of young girls on a mobile device after a random search by police on 12 November 2024.
Bruce was last jailed in February 2023 for possessing indecent images and was given a prison sentence in 2018 for similar offences.
Officers from the sexual offender’s unit searched his home in Norgaet on 12 November 2024 and found two devices which they believed contained indecent material.
These devices were then taken away and examined further by specialist teams.
One device was found to contain 29 category C still images – the least severe type of photos – which were initially inaccessible to police.
These featured girls between the ages of 10 and 15.
As well as this, there were a further 31 “borderline images”, procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie told Lerwick Sheriff Court on Wednesday.
On the other device seized, more borderline images were discovered along with a search history consistent with the material found.
Mackenzie admitted that the number of images found was “low” but also pointed to Bruce’s previous convictions.
He called for forfeiture of the two items seized by police.
Defence agent Tommy Allan said it would be a concern to the court that this was Bruce’s third conviction for similar offences.
However he also pointed to the low number of images found and said that these were also all in the lowest category of indecent images.
Allan said it had been “some considerable time” since the offence was carried out, and that Bruce had not been found to have broken the law again since.
He suggested Bruce’s consumption of alcohol may have contributed, but said he was now no longer drinking.
He also added that Bruce had since suffered a stroke and had been left with reduced mobility.
Sheriff Ian Cruickshank deferred sentencing for the preparation of a criminal justice social work report.
Bruce was bailed and will return for sentencing on 6 May. Forfeiture of the two devices seized was granted.
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