A MAN was caught with sickening images of children downloaded to his computer after police investigated when he ordered a 80,000 volt stun gun from the US, a court heard.
Ryan O'Donnell, 20, from Loanhead, Midlothian, admitted enjoying seeing children in distress a report to the court said.
The child porn images, some of the most explicit and disturbing prosecutors had seen, were uncovered after an alert customs of
ficer at a parcel hub in Coventry intercepted an 80,000 volt stun gun he ordered off the internet.
Police seized his computer to search for ordering details and instead found the porn files.
At Edinburgh Sheriff Court today, Sheriff Frank Crowe gave O'Donnell a two-year probation order which will see him given counselling for his sexual behaviour and for alcohol abuse.
Sheriff Crowe had described the pictures as a "disturbing and worrying offence" but called for a psychiatric report.
Despite denying there was sexual motivation behind the pictures, the report confirmed he enjoyed seeing images of children in distress.
Sheriff Crowe added: "Whether that is sexual or masochistic does not make that much of a difference."
The court heard O' Donnell tried to have the weapon sent to Scotland through Parcel Force, and the package was listed as a small cordless hand-tool.
But an alert customs worker at an international postage hub in Coventry became suspicious, and on closer inspection discovered the box actually contained a Mini Talon stun-gun.
O'Donnell was arrested and admitted he downloaded the images between March and September 2006.
The full article contains 263 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
