A PERVERT was caught with child abuse images so graphic a judge had to give a public health warning before they were described in court.

Jamie Sharp, who has a previous conviction for indecent behaviour towards a young girl, hoarded pictures and videos of babies and nursery-aged children being raped.

The shocking cache of files included pictures of children who had been either handcuffed or bound by the legs and, in some images, they were still wearing nappies.

Computer experts also discovered 39-year-old Sharp had searched for “young real schoolgirls flashing in uniform” and “pre-teen” in a quest to satisfy his warped sexual desires.

During a hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court, he pleaded guilty to charges of downloading and possessing child abuse images at the home he shared with his partner in High Street, Johnstone.

And, before the facts of the case were narrated, Sheriff Colin 
Pettigrew warned the public they may want to leave the court room due to what they were about to hear.

He added: “I am simply giving a public notice of matters which may be found to be distressing by certain members of the public.”

Procurator fiscal depute Fiona Holligan then told the court officers received information that an IP address had been used to access indecent images of children and a search warrant was obtained.

Officers went to search the flat on January 31 last year and seized a Sony mobile phone, a Compaq laptop, an Apple computer, a Cyclone Odyssey Tablet and a USB stick, which were sent for testing.

Computer experts discovered a total of 53 images had been viewed on the devices.

Mrs Holligan said: “Chat logs showed the user had an extreme sexual interest in children and there were search terms [which had been used] which were relative to same.”

Following searches of the computer, Sharp was traced to a caravan park in Saltcoats, Ayrshire, where he was detained and interviewed.

One of his files showed a girl, aged between one and two, being raped by a man, while another showed a young girl, whose age was not given in court, in handcuffs being forced to perform a sex act.

The court was told Sharp, who was spared jail in 2007 after being convicted of indecent behaviour towards a young girl and hoarding a previous cache of child abuse images, cares for his elderly mother, who recently suffered a fall.

Sheriff Pettigrew released him on bail but warned he could be jailed for the offences.

He placed Sharp on the Sex Offenders’ Register as he called for background reports to be prepared ahead of sentencing.

As he did so, Sheriff Pettigrew told him: “These are serious charges.”
Sharp, who was told he will be referred to the Scottish Government so they can decide whether or not he should be banned from working with children, will be sentenced next month.