Alan MacPherson, then aged 83, from Stenhousemuir, Falkirk, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Falkirk Sheriff Court after amassing what is considered the largest collection of child sexual abuse material ever uncovered by law enforcement in Scotland.
The prosecution arose from an intelligence-led operation conducted by Police Scotland into the online distribution of prohibited media.
In July 2025, investigators identified an IP address traced to MacPherson’s residence that was actively transmitting child sexual exploitation content.
MacPherson had transmitted multiple Category A files—the most serious legal classification, depicting children being subjected to rape—during an online conversation with an undercover police officer on an encrypted messaging platform.
Following a raid on his property, specialist officers seized nine electronic devices, including desktop computers, mobile phones, digital cameras, external storage drives, and a USB stick.
Child sexual abuse material was identified on every single device.
Forensic examinations confirmed that MacPherson possessed more than two million images in total.
Specialists verified that over 805,000 files depicted explicit child sexual abuse and rape, predominantly targeting young female children aged between nine and 15, with at least one victim estimated to be approximately seven years of age.
Owing to the unprecedented magnitude of the collection, approximately 1.4 million images stored on a single external drive could not be individually graded by digital examiners.
MacPherson, a former volunteer archivist with the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, admitted that he had systematically searched for and downloaded child sexual abuse material over a 14-year period for his own gratification.
During sentencing, Sheriff Maryam Labaki described the offending as exceptional and highlighted MacPherson’s complete absence of remorse.
The sheriff drew attention to criminal justice social work assessments in which MacPherson claimed that the abused children were consenting and willing participants, branding his perspectives unconscionable.
The court heard that MacPherson’s family had disowned him, with his wife serving divorce proceedings while he was detained in custody.
Sheriff Labaki handed MacPherson an extended sentence comprising four years’ imprisonment followed by an extended supervision period of three years in the community.
The court also ordered that MacPherson remain subject to the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register for life.
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