In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Simon Luby, then 45, of Whitehirst Park, Kilwinning, North Ayrshire, had completed a custodial sentence for amassing one of the most extensive collections of child abuse material ever discovered by Police Scotland. On 28 May 2019, Luby appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court after admitting to an 18-year campaign of collecting more than 45,800 images and 450 videos of children being abused.
The investigation established that Luby, a high-profile Global Director for the international windfarm firm K2 Management, had been secretly building his collection since September 2000. Officers from the Cyber Crime Unit raided his home in July 2018 while his two children were asleep in the property. Forensic analysis of his devices—including a Toshiba hard drive and a ThinkPad laptop—uncovered 45,825 images and 458 videos, mostly depicting young girls aged 4-14. The prosecution reported that over 1,400 of these files were in the most depraved Category A.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane emphasised that an immediate prison sentence was the only appropriate response, noting that every image represented the physical and psychological torture of a child. The court reported that Luby attempted to justify his behaviour by claiming he had undiagnosed autism and that his long-term offending was a result of “stupidity.” The prosecution emphasised that Luby was a “beast” who had used his professional expertise to maintain a double life while fueling a global market of child exploitation.
The judge emphasised that Luby acted with full knowledge that children were being harmed for his sexual gratification. The court heard that during the initial police raid, Luby proactively directed officers to the hard drives containing the illegal material. For his crimes in Kilwinning, the judge determined that the sheer scale and duration of the offending—nearly two decades of active involvement—required the maximum level of monitoring and public notification.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in North Ayrshire, Simon Luby was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 10 months in immediate custody.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated for 10 years.
- Conviction: Admitted to possessing and making over 45,000 indecent images and videos of children.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Luby is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Police Scotland. Due to his technical background and the volume of material he amassed, his digital activities remain under the highest level of scrutiny by authorities in Ayrshire.
As a registered sex offender, Luby must comply with stringent notification requirements regarding his residence and internet access. Authorities state that his risk management is a priority for the Ayrshire Public Protection Unit to ensure he is never again able to access the networks used to build his horrific stash. Any breach of his registration conditions or attempt to bypass his digital monitoring will result in his immediate return to Kilmarnock Sheriff Court.
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