John Johnstone convicted of sexual offences against children
A man responsible for sexually abusing a young girl and publishing indecent images of children online has been convicted today, Tuesday, 24 November, 2020.
John Johnstone (43), of Arbroath, pled guilty at Dundee Sheriff Court to a number of charges, including performing a sexual act in the presence of a child, and taking and distributing indecent images of children online. He will be sentenced at a later date.
Officers from Police Scotland launched an investigation after receiving intelligence that Johnstone had uploaded an indecent image of a child onto the Dark Web. What followed was a hugely complex enquiry involving a number of officers, specialists and partners carrying out detailed investigation and digital forensic examinations to gather intelligence and evidence of Johnstone's criminal activity. He was subsequently arrested and charged on Wednesday, 29 July, 2020.
Detective Chief Inspector Richie Banks, of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigation Unit, said: "John Johnstone is a dangerous and predatory individual whose levels of hidden criminal activity over a number of years show he was not only a risk to children in Scotland, but worldwide. His guilty plea today is testament to the investigative work undertaken by officers across Police Scotland and partner agencies.
“Online offenders may think they are anonymous, and they may not comprehend the terrible, devastating and lifelong impact their actions have on children. But there is no excuse for their actions. Online images of child abuse and exploitation are not virtual, they show the very real abuse of a real child.
“Police Scotland’s current #GetHelpOrGetCaught campaign proactively targets those who are either already offending or at risk of offending online, and provides signposts to available support
"Police Scotland is committed to the protection of children and to bringing all perpetrators of sexual abuse to justice. We would urge anyone who wishes to report any child protection concerns or sexual crime to contact us on 101 so we can conduct a thorough investigation.”
