Inverness man downloaded almost 1000 images and videos of children
A 34-year-old Inverness man who downloaded almost 1000 images and videos of children being abused or posing erotically has been given unpaid work.
Darren Bennett’s (34) home in the city’s Kingsview Terrace was raided by police on November 19 last year and his mobile phone seized.
Fiscal depute Karen Poke told Sheriff David Harvie at Inverness Sheriff Court that, after analysis, 515 accessible stills and five accessible videos were discovered on the device with a further 458 images inaccessible.
"A total of 366 stills and four of the videos were Category A [the most graphic kind of abuse],” she said.
“The run-time of the videos was a total of three minutes and 27 seconds."
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Bennett admitted downloading and possessing the material between January 30, 2023 and November 10, 2024.
Sheriff Harvie ordered Bennett to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work within nine months as part of a community payback order with supervision for three years.
He was also ordered to undertake the Moving Forward 2 Change sex offender’s programme and placed him under residential and conduct requirements.
He also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years and placed Bennett on the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years.
All of this was imposed as a direct alternative to custody.
Sheriff Harvie said: “The matters to which you pleaded guilty are serious and not victimless. Custody is a real possibility in a case like this. The report indicates that you appear to be suited for programmes to try and address your risk.
“If breached this will all be revoked and it will be a prison sentence.”
Sheriff Harvie scheduled a review of the orders for April 23 next year.