A 61-year-old ex-footballer has been sentenced to four years in prison for the sexual assault of a child and possession of indecent images of children.
Ian Heddle, who is originally from Dunfermline but lives in Thailand, was snared after being held at Edinburgh Airport in February 2023.
His electronic devices were seized and police uncovered more than 270,000 indecent photos and videos of children.
Officers also found three clips of him abusing a child – believed to be aged around eight – as she slept.
Heddle – a former footballer who played for Dunfermline and Kelty Hearts in the 1980s and 90s – was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.
He pled guilty last month to sexually assaulting the girl between September 26 and October 12 2019 while in Thailand, and further admitted two indecent images charges.
Detective Inspector Adrian Ure of National Child Abuse Investigations Unit said: “Heddle’s behaviour was deplorable with no thought to the young child he sexually assaulted or the victims depicted in the images and videos he was viewing.
“His sentencing sends a clear message that anyone found guilty of these offences will be brought to justice.
“Child protection is a priority for Police Scotland and our partners and we will use the latest technologies and tactics to identify offenders, prevent offending and to protect children from sexual exploitation.
“We treat all reports of sexual crime with the utmost seriousness and will investigate all reports of sexual offences thoroughly in order to bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice, while at the same time providing all the necessary support.”
Duncan Burrage, a National Crime Agency International Liaison Officer, said: “Offenders like Ian Heddle think that they won’t get caught by travelling to the other side of the world to conduct child abuse.
“However, the NCA has the capabilities to identify and disrupt them.
"Borders are not a barrier; we work closely with our partners in the UK and overseas to ensure that Britons committing child abuse offences abroad are prosecuted and vulnerable children are safeguarded, wherever they are in the world.
“Child sexual abuse is a major global issue which requires a collective international response, which is why tackling it in all its forms remains a priority for the NCA.”
14°C
13°C
14°C