East Lothian crime: Haddington company director caught with sickening child abuse images and videos

A company director who was caught with hundreds of horrific child abuse images including two-year-olds being sexually abused has escaped a jail sentence.

Lindsay Holman was found to have stored 1500 depraved pictures and 20 videos on five devices at his home he shares with his wife in Haddington, East Lothian.

Holman, 64, was at home with his spouse when police raided the property armed with a search warrant last year following a tip off indecent images of children were being downloaded.

He denied any involvement in possessing the disturbing material but was forced to admit his guilt after appliances including his mobile phone and computer were forensically examined.

Creep Lindsay Holman was too ashamed to show his face after dodging prison for horrific child abuse images and videos

The recently retired IT boss was arrested and charged and he pleaded guilty to two charges when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month.

Holman is listed online as a former director of engineering development company Televisua Ltd and is also listed as an ex-director with Panasonic.

He returned to the dock for sentencing and was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years

Sheriff Kenneth Maciver also placed Holman under the supervision of his local social work department for three years and ordered him to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work.

Defence agent Peter O’Neill told the court Holman “had an interest in adult pornography” but had become involved with “a [online] group where all kinds of pornography was shared”.

Mr O’Neill said the pervert’s family were “shocked but supportive” of him following his arrest.

Previously the court was told police arrived at Holman’s family home with a search warrant on May 25 last year after receiving intelligence images were being downloaded at the property.

Prospector Anna Chisholm said officers who raided Holman’s home under a warrant discovered 1500 images with 130 pictures said to be rated as Category A - the worst end of the spectrum.

Holman pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children at his home between August 20, 2016 and May 25 last year.

He also admitted to a charge of permitting to be taken, or making, indecent images of children between the same dates.