A 36-year-old Dundee service team manager who had been sourcing, possessing, and distributing extreme child sexual abuse material for a decade was snared by an undercover police officer on Telegram and convicted at Dundee Sheriff Court.
Paul Ross, previously of Lochee and still residing in Dundee, appeared in the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court where he entered guilty pleas to four criminal charges spanning between 2016 and 2025.
Prosecutor Charmaine Gilmartin outlined to the court that on 11 September 2025, an undercover police officer operating on the encrypted messaging application Telegram under the alias “Davie” made contact with Ross. Ross replied stating he had “no limits” and, upon being told “Davie” had children, asked what sexual experience they had.
Ross proceeded to send the undercover officer 13 video files depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as three years old, before asking whether “Davie” was “whoring out” his four-year-old son and requesting videos of the child.
Police swiftly obtained a search warrant and executed a raid on Ross’s former residence in Lochee four days later, seizing four laptops, two mobile telephones, and a hard drive before taking Ross into custody.
Forensic examination of the seven seized devices uncovered 895 illicit files—with 518 categorised in the most explicit severity category, including material featuring newborns—which would have lasted more than 24 hours if played back-to-back. Of those recovered files, 589 remained actively accessible to Ross, alongside 165 “borderline” images and 13 images of fictional characters portraying children. Web browser history on one laptop also showed Ross had accessed links subsequently “terminated due to violations”.
Investigators additionally compiled nearly 300 pages of chat logs documenting Ross’s conversations with other paedophiles across messaging platforms—comprising 194 pages from Telegram, 68 pages from Teleguard, and 22 pages from Session—discussing topics including incest and sexual activity with babies. Prosecutor Mrs Gilmartin told the court: “The conversations the accused has with other users is extremely disturbing.”
At Dundee Sheriff Court, Ross pleaded guilty to:
Taking or making indecent files of children dating back to 2016
Possessing indecent images of children since 2019
Distributing child sexual abuse material from 2023
Sending grossly offensive, indecent, obscene, or menacing messages on Telegram between 2023 and 2025
Defence solicitor Mike Short submitted a letter to the court from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, informing the sheriff that Ross had been open regarding his position and was engaging with professional groups.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and statutory UK child protection legislation, all children depicted in indecent material are protected by mandatory, lifelong statutory anonymity from the moment an allegation is made. Any publication, broadcast, or public dissemination of information capable of leading to their identification is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Sheriff Ray Small granted formal forfeiture orders over all seven seized electronic devices, placed Ross on the Sex Offenders Register, and deferred sentencing until November 2026 for the preparation of background reports, including an extended risk assessment, telling Ross: “You have pled guilty to a number of serious, very disturbing charges involving the downloading, distribution and sharing of extreme pornographic material in relation to young children. These are serious and may well attract a custodial sentence.”
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Source From geograph.org.uk
Author Bill Harrison
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