Pensioner had 'largest hoard' of child abuse images to be seized in Scotland
An 83-year-old Scottish man has been remanded in custody after police discovered over two million child sexual abuse images on his electronic devices. The collection is considered the largest of its kind ever seized in Scotland, overwhelming police resources during the investigation.
Why it matters
The case highlights the massive scale of digital child exploitation and the ongoing challenges law enforcement faces in processing and categorizing vast amounts of illegal digital evidence.
Image source, Tim Bugler Image caption, Alan MacPherson wore a hooded jacket as he was led away to custody after the court appearance
A pensioner amassed what is thought to be the largest collection of child sexual abuse material ever seized by police in Scotland, a court has heard.
Alan MacPherson, 83, from Stenhousemuir, was found to have over two million images on various electronic devices after his home was raided in 2025.
More than 805,000 were formally identified as depicting child sexual abuse - much of it of the most serious category - while the overwhelming scale of his collection meant much of material was not examined.
MacPherson, who admitted downloading the material over a 14-year period, was placed on the sex offenders register and remanded in custody at Falkirk Sheriff Court pending pre-sentence reports.
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