Criminals were in the dock for crimes including building a 3-D gun at home, possesing child abuse images and filming children undressing.
The teenager who used a 3D printer to build a deadly assault gun in his bedroom was spared jail, and instead ordered to wear an electronic tag and serve a three-year community payback order.
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While, an Edinburgh man who was caught with hundreds of shocking child abuse images - including two-year-old victims - was given an alternative to a jail sentence when he appeared in court in January.
And, a care assistant who left a nine-week-old baby with horror injuries after violently shaking the child was jailed last month and banned from having contact with his victim.

1. Actor filmed children undressing
An actor and musician who set up a hidden camera to film children undressing during costume changes was jailed and placed on the sex offenders register for life in January. Thomas Jason Connell, 27, also recorded adult victims while they showered at the homes of friends he was visiting and was found to have filmed children as they undressed at a swimming pool changing room. The singer-songwriter - who performed on stage as T-J Connell - also upskirted women at an Edinburgh train station and stored child abuse pictures on his phone. Connell had previously been convicted of possessing indecent images of children, and this latest huge haul of seedy recordings were uncovered when police carried out a home visit to check his devices in January last year. He pleaded guilty to eight offences of voyeurism and possessing indecent images of children when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in December and returned to the dock for sentencing on January 10. Sheriff Derek O’Carroll jailed Connell for a total of 42 months backdated to April last year and placed him on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period. Sheriff O’Carroll also imposed a 10 year sexual harm prevention order along with a 10 year non-harassment order for one of the victims. | Alexander Lawrie

2. Chef jailed for domestic abuse
An Edinburgh man ‘who poses an extreme danger to women’ was jailed for 12 years following a campaign of violent, sexual and domestic abuse. Scott Wilson was found guilty of seven charges, including rape, on November 6 following a trial at the High Court in Livingston. The 33-year-old chef targeted a woman over the course of several years, subjecting her to violent and sexual abuse and made threats to harm her family. In January, Wilson was given a 16-year extended sentence with the custodial part set at 12 years and his name has been added to the sex offenders register indefinitely. A non-harassment order, banning Wilson from contacting or attempting to contact the victim, was also granted for an indefinite period. | National World Photo: Lisa Ferguson

3. Sent sexual messages to 11-year-old girl
A charity worker who sent sexual messages to an 11-year-old schoolgirl before attempting to meet up with her avoided jail in January. Crawford Robertson lured the child into chatting to him on the Snapchat app by pretending to be a teenager before he began sending her the sordid messages. Robertson, 22, told the vulnerable victim he wanted to kiss her and asked her to engage in sexual activity with him and then arranging to meet up in Edinburgh in November 2022. He turned to meet up with the youngster at the capital’s Wester Hailes shopping centre but ran off when a family friend of the child’s parents intervened. Robertson was later arrested by police and he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in October last year where he pleaded guilty to two sexual offences involving the child. He admitted sending indecent communication to the youngster and attempting to meet up her with the intention of engaging in sexual activity. Robertson returned to the dock for sentencing on January 10 where Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss spared him custody and instead issued an “onerous” community payback order. | Alexander Lawrie
![A care assistant who left a nine-week-old baby with horror injuries after violently shaking him was jailed in January and banned from having contact with his victim.
Jose Herreros grabbed hold of the baby boy by the body and forcibly shook him causing serious injuries including 11 fractured bones in his ribs and legs.
Herreros, 26, was forced to admit the shocking attack after a health worker spotted bruising to the baby’s face during a home visit and recommended the child be taken to hospital.
He pleaded guilty to assaulting the child to his severe injury and danger of his life at a property in Midlothian in May 2022 when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year.
Herreros returned to the dock for sentencing on January 13 where Sheriff Christopher Dickson said he had carried out “a very serious offence where you shook [the child] resulting in multiple fractures”. Sheriff Dickson added: “Given the nature and the seriousness of this offence I consider a custodial sentence the only appropriate disposal in this case.”
Herreros was jailed for 21 months and given a non-harassment order banning him from having any contact with the child for three years.](https://www.thestar.co.uk/jpim-static/image/2025/01/31/16/45/Care-assistant-who-shook-baby-is-jailed.jpeg?trim=148,0,1509,0&crop=&width=800)
4. Care assistant who shook baby is jailed
A care assistant who left a nine-week-old baby with horror injuries after violently shaking him was jailed in January and banned from having contact with his victim. Jose Herreros grabbed hold of the baby boy by the body and forcibly shook him causing serious injuries including 11 fractured bones in his ribs and legs. Herreros, 26, was forced to admit the shocking attack after a health worker spotted bruising to the baby’s face during a home visit and recommended the child be taken to hospital. He pleaded guilty to assaulting the child to his severe injury and danger of his life at a property in Midlothian in May 2022 when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last year. Herreros returned to the dock for sentencing on January 13 where Sheriff Christopher Dickson said he had carried out “a very serious offence where you shook [the child] resulting in multiple fractures”. Sheriff Dickson added: “Given the nature and the seriousness of this offence I consider a custodial sentence the only appropriate disposal in this case.” Herreros was jailed for 21 months and given a non-harassment order banning him from having any contact with the child for three years. | Alexander Lawrie