Iraqi war bomb survivor from Inverness had 'foul' indecent footage of children and bestiality

An Iraqi war veteran who survived a bomb attack which killed some of his colleagues downloaded child porn as he coped with a post-traumatic stress disorder and a "childhood trauma".

The 50-year-old married man downloaded indecent images and videos of children over a 10-year period with his lawyer telling Inverness Sheriff Court: "He suffers from survivor guilt."

Edward Nichol, of Duntulm Road, Inverness appeared for sentence before Sheriff Eilidh Macdonald after admitting downloading and possessing the offensive material at properties in Ardersier, Leuchars and Inverness between August 2012 and January 7, 2022.

He also admitted a third charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image of a woman and a dog.

Placing him on a sex offenders' programme and two years of social work supervision, the sheriff told him: "Possession of these images is foul. How you can get pleasure out of these images, I have no idea."

The court had previously been told that police, acting on intelligence received, searched Nichol's home on January 29, 2022 and took possession of various electronic devices.

Fiscal depute Martina Eastwood said five videos, four of which were inaccessible, were of the most obscene category, were recovered.

Another eight videos and indecent images of children were also found, one of which was accessible.

Ms Eastwood added: "Two phones and two laptops were seized by police who also found searches for indecent images of children."

Defence solicitor advocate Clare Russell told the court: "There is a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder here and there was childhood trauma. He spent 24 years in the military and suffered a significant injury in Iraq as a result of a bomb. A number of his colleagues were killed and it left him with shrapnel in his head. He suffers from survivor guilt."

Nichol was also placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for two years.