In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Kenneth Milton, then 60, of Paisley, was convicted at Paisley Sheriff Court for the possession of indecent movie files featuring children. Milton, a service engineer and grandfather, was snared following a targeted public protection operation by Police Scotland’s Public Protection Unit, which traced illegal downloads to an IP address at his home in Renfrewshire.
The court heard that in May 2018, while Milton and his wife were on holiday, officers executed a search warrant at his property. During the search, Milton’s daughter provided officers with a USB flash drive and a black laptop recovered from a bedroom. A forensic examination of these devices uncovered five movie files: three classified as Category B and two as Category C. One video depicted girls as young as 13, while another 22-minute file featured children aged 14 to 15. The digital timestamps indicated that the files had been collected over seven years, between 2007 and 2014.
Prosecutor Keri Marshall detailed how the investigation initially flagged an IP address in Paisley in March 2018. Upon his return from holiday, Milton attended the police station where he was formally cautioned and charged. During a pre-trial hearing, Milton pleaded guilty to the charge of taking or allowing to be taken indecent photographs of children. His defence agent, Gemma Rathey, stated that the offences had caused “significant difficulties” for his family life, leading to the separation from his wife.
At the time of his conviction, Kenneth Milton was a full-time service engineer with no previous record. Sheriff James Spy adjourned the case to obtain a Criminal Justice Social Work Report and a specialised assessment from the Pathways Project. This organisation works specifically with sex offenders to manage risk and provide rehabilitative support.
Following his guilty plea, Milton was placed on the Sex Offenders Register. As a convicted offender in Scotland, his management falls under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), where Police Scotland and the local Social Work department monitor his conduct and residency. He remains subject to strict notification requirements, including informing authorities of any contact with children under the age of 16, a particularly significant restriction given his status as a grandfather.
UPDATE
Sheriff James Spy said that he was ready to issue Milton a probation order, which would entail supervision by the social work department, completion of 150 hours of unpaid labour, and registration on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Milton has been restricted from utilising the internet or a camera without prior authorisation from social workers.
He is prohibited from contacting individuals aged 17 or younger without prior authorisation.
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