Sex offender caught with extreme bestiality and child abuse images

A convicted sex offender has been jailed after being caught with extreme images of people having sex with animals, as well as sickening child abuse pictures.

Livingston Sheriff Court.

Shaun Butler had almost 500 pictures showing bestial acts involving dogs and horses, and nearly 2000 photos and videos of children being abused, a court heard.

Butler was already under a sex offender order after being jailed for 34 months at Cupar Sheriff Court in 2013 for possessing and sharing 6,000 “sadistic” images.

He was remanded in custody again at Livingston Sheriff Court on Monday and warned he could expect another custodial sentence for the new offences.

Butler, of Marjory Court, Bathgate, pleaded guilty on indictment to the three charges.

Butler committed all three crimes while he was subject to the sexual offences order which made him and his computer equipment liable to checks by specialist police offender management officers.

Kate Irwin, prosecuting, said two of those officers had visited the accused’s home on 12 August last year and were given permission to enter by Butler.

She said: “Police noticed a laptop open in a coffee table in the living room. The accused was asked if examination could be undertaken which he complied with.

“During the examination police noted files indicating extreme pornographic material involving animals and bestiality.”

During the forensic examination of the computer, she said, police found information that appeared to point to indecent images of children and sought a search warrant for the accused’s home.

They executed the warrant on 7 July last year and seized a Samsung Galaxy tablet which on examination “proved positive for indecent images”.

The tablet contained a large cache of images and videos, she said, 63 of them in category ‘A’ – the most serious grouping.

Andrew Docherty, defending, urged the court to call for a background report before sentencing and suggested his client should remain at liberty because he had not breached his bail conditions and had a job.

Sheriff Peter Hammond added the accused’s name to the sex offenders’ register for the second time, telling him the length of time his name would remain on the register would be decided when sentence was passed.

He revoked Butler’s bail and remanded him in custody until sentence is passed on 6 August.