Salmon worker fined for sending ‘extreme pornography’ to workmates

A 22-year-old man who sent an ‘extreme pornography’ video of a person having sex with an animal to his friends has been fined £200 at Lerwick Sheriff Court today.

Andrew Manson of Haldane Burgess Crescent admitted distributing the “obscene” video on 13th August 2015.

Procurator fiscal Duncan MacKenzie told the court that police searched Manson’s home after they had “uncovered intelligence that he was in possession of extreme pornography” which he had sent out on social media messaging service WhatsApp to a small group of friends.

Mr MacKenzie said that this had been done out of “morbid curiosity rather than any sexual motive”.

It was, he said, a “shocking video” that had engendered a “sense of disbelief” that he had shared because of the “outrageous nature” of what was being viewed.

It was perhaps the sort of thing done by young men who did not realise the criminal implications of sending such material to other people.

Defending solicitor Tommy Allan said that Manson’s salmon farm workmates were a “bunch of older men” and his client had been “sucked into this” and it was clear the video had been sent to him previously.

As a result of this scare, Manson had deleted the app and now “completely avoided” social media.

Sheriff Philip Mann said that the case illustrated the dangers of using social media indiscriminately and “you really have to watch what comes into your phone”.

He said that some people were quite happy to pass on such material without any thought of what the dangers they might be placing the recipient in.

Fining Manson £200 Sheriff Mann said that he was “satisfied” that there was no significant sexual element to the offence and hoped that Manson would take it as a lesson.