Football coach caught filming boy in shower

Scott Ferrie, who was a coach with Tynecastle FC, had cut a hole in a toiletries bag to conceal a camera phone and slid the makeshift device under a shower cubicle at the David Lloyd Centre in the Gyle.

The terrified youngster reported the incident to police and officers later traced Ferrie, who was also a learning assistant at Firhill High School, from his Hearts tattoo.

The 29-year-old was later detained as he was helping to run a fundraising bag pack at Sainsbury’s with youngsters from Tynecastle FC.

Officers examined the computer at his family home in Pentland View, Currie, and found hundreds of images of child pornography, including photographs of young boys being tied up with rope.

At the time of the offence, Ferrie had recently returned from accompanying first-year pupils on a school trip to Paris.

Ferrie appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday to plead guilty to charges of filming, or attempting to film, the 13-year-old at the sports centre on June 25 last year. He also admitted being in possession of indecent photographs or pseudo- photographs of children.

Fiscal depute Dev Kapadia told the court that the 13-year-old and his 12-year-old friend had gone to the centre to go swimming.

After their swim the boys went to the changing rooms and began showering in adjacent cubicles, which were separated by partitions with a two-feet gap to the floor and a locked door at the front.

Mr Kapadia said: “The 13-year-old became aware of someone going into the adjacent cubicles to his right-hand side. He saw a large black toiletries bag being placed on the floor. He saw that the bag had a three-inch square section of material cut at the bottom and what looked like an iPhone with a camera being focused towards him.

“He saw the person adjust the bag and at some point he said that the male looked over the cubicle wall at him.” Mr Kapadia said the youngster was “alarmed” that someone was trying to film him and left the cubicle to find only his friend and Ferrie in the changing room area.

The boys went to the 13-year-old’s home to tell his parents and police were contacted.

Mr Kapadia said that officers went to the centre and, after they became aware that the suspect had a Hearts tattoo, were able to identify Ferrie.

Officers seized the toiletries bag and the iPhone, but there was no footage recovered.

Sheriff Paul Arthurson QC deferred sentence until June 22 for reports.

Ferrie was placed on the sex offenders register and banned from working with children.

School Santa blames ADHD for illicit stash

A VOLUNTEER classroom assistant at a city primary school, who once dressed as Santa Claus for pupils, has blamed his ADHD after being caught with a stash of child pornography.

Moray Kent Nicholson, 22, who was on work experience at Corstorphine Primary at the time of the offending, has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

His defence agent, Gavin Anderson, told Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday that Nicholson had collected the images for the “rush of doing something prohibited rather than sexual gratification”.

The solicitor also insisted his client did not pose a threat to youngsters.

Mr Anderson said the disorder partly led Nicholson to drop out of university.

Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie QC deferred sentencing until Wednesday to consider medical reports.