Pensioner with 'largest hoard' of child abuse images found in Scotland jailed
An 83-year-old Scottish man has been sentenced to four years in prison for possessing over two million child sexual abuse images. The court described the scale of the collection as exceptional and noted that the defendant showed no remorse for his actions.
Why it matters
This case highlights the ongoing global challenge of policing digital child exploitation and the severe legal consequences for those involved in the distribution and possession of such material.
Image source, Tim Bugler Image caption, Alan MacPherson amassed a collection of more than two million child abuse images
A pensioner who amassed what is thought to be the largest collection of child sexual abuse material ever seized by police in Scotland has been jailed for four years.
Alan MacPherson, 83, from Stenhousemuir, was found to have more than two million images on various electronic devices after his home was raided in 2025.
More than 805,000 were identified as depicting child sexual abuse - much of it in the most serious category - while the overwhelming scale of his collection meant much of material was not checked and categorised.
MacPherson was told by Sheriff Mayram Labaki that the scale of his crime was "exceptional".
The sheriff said: "The quantity [of images] was so great that a substantial proportion could not be examined and categorised by forensic examiners.
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