Perthshire children's worker had child porn

Nov 10 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A TEAM leader who works with youngsters at a Perthshire outdoor centre downloaded 328 video clips containing kiddie porn images.

Twenty-three of them showed the sexual abuse of children, some as young as four, Perth Sheriff Court was told.

Twenty-four-year-old Matthew Faulds has since been suspended from his post as a team leader and activities instructor at PGL Adventures, Dalguise House, near Dunkeld.

He had his name added to the sex offenders’ register and will be sentenced on December 14 after background reports have been prepared.

Depute fiscal Charmaine Cole said that the porn was discovered when a roommate of Faulds borrowed his laptop to watch films which had been stored there.

The centre where Faulds worked provides trips and adventure holidays for children aged seven-17.

It was stressed that none of the images showed children at the centre and the accused denied ever having any sexual feelings for any of those he worked with.

More than 5½ hours of sickening video footage showed children being sexually abused. Their ages ranged from four-15.

Two of the video clips were described as being in the most serious category.

Faulds told police he had downloaded the material from the internet, mostly for his own “gratification.”

He thought he had deleted the pornography before he went to Dalguise.

Faulds, of Cheviot Crescent, Dundee, admitted having the images in his possession at Dalguise House and elsewhere between January 16 and August 9 this year.