Edinburgh theatre boss who blamed lockdown for downloading horrific images dodges jail

An Edinburgh man who blamed the Covid lockdown for him downloading child abuse pornography has avoided a jail sentence.

Liam Purves was found with images depicting children as young as three-years-old being sexually abused by adults when police raided his home last year.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told the former theatre manager attempted to blame his isolation during the period of lockdown for his deviant offending.

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Purves, 40, pleaded guilty to a charge of making indecent images of children last month and returned to the dock for sentencing on Thursday.

Sheriff Julius Komorowski placed Purves on a three year supervision order and said he must complete the maximum term of 300 hours of unpaid work. His name was also added to the sex offenders register for three years.

Previously prosecutor Chelsea Martin told the court police received intelligence Purves had been accessing indecent images of children and arrived with a warrant at his flat at the city’s Meadowbank.

Purves, who has held management positions at the Edinburgh Playhouse and The Lyceum Theatre, was not at home but was later traced to his workplace with a leading hotel chain and was arrested at around 10am on March 25 last year.

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A number of devices were seized from his property and Purves was said to have told officers “I have seen images but I am not into that”.

A forensic examination of his mobile phone discovered a total of 63 images with 28 rated as Category A - the most depraved end of the scale.

Ms Martin told the court the most serious pictures showed “girls and boys aged between three and eight years old” being raped by adults while others depicted children posing sexually.

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Defence agent Joseph Boyd said his client has had “a good work ethic” since leaving school and has previously been employed as a manager with the Edinburgh Playhouse, Lyceum Theatre and Dynamic Earth.

Mr Boyd said: “My client wishes to record just how sorry and extremely remorseful he is in relation to his conduct. He tells me this occurred a during a particularly vulnerable and isolated time during the Covid pandemic.”

Purves pleaded guilty to a charge of making indecent images of children at his home address on an occasion between May 1, 2019 and March 24 last year.