Whitley Bay paedophile Russell Buglass jailed for two years

Russell Buglass admitted six offences committed over a 13-year period

A paedophile found with thousands of sexual pictures of children, including some he took of a girl on a beach, has been jailed for two years.

Russell Buglass, 55, amassed photos and videos of children as young as five being abused, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

When police went to his home, he told officers he had been "stupid" and would lose his family and job.

He admitted six offences dating from March 2009 to January 2022.

The court heard police were informed indecent images of children were being downloaded at his home with officers attending on 29 January this year.

'Worst sort'

Buglass, previously of Whitley Bay but now of no fixed abode, immediately admitted he was responsible, prosecutor Neil Pallister said.

Various devices including a laptop, mobile phone and hard drives were seized while a "large quantity" of children's underwear was found in Buglass' bedside cabinet, the court heard.

Analysis of the devices found 311 pictures and 12 videos in the most serious category of indecent images, what His Honour Judge Tim Gittins called the "worst sort", a further 533 pictures and two videos in the next band and 40,621 and 47 videos in the third level of categorisation, with victims aged between five and 17, as well as other prohibited and extreme pornographic material.

Officers also found so-called "first generation pictures" he had taken himself, including 21 of an unknown girl aged between four and six playing on a beach which he kept in a folder called "beach babes".

In a police interview, Buglass denied he was sexually attracted to children but said he had an addiction that started with mainstream pornography and "escalated".

'Ruined relationships'

In mitigation, Mark Harrison said Buglass had "completely lost his moral and sexual compass over the course of a number of years" and recognised his behaviour was "utterly reprehensible".

Buglass was "utterly ashamed" of his "selfish sexual behaviour" and sorry for the pain he had caused, Mr Harrison said, adding he had "ruined" his relationship with his whole family and was "unemployable".

Mr Harrison said Buglass was actively seeking help and therapy and had been diagnosed with ADHD and autism, although the defendant did not "blame" those conditions for what he did.

The judge said the "huge number" of child victims were abused when the pictures were taken and again each time someone like Buglass looked at them.

He said Buglass, who admitted making and possessing indecent, prohibited and extreme pornographic images, was intelligent and had "made a choice" to engage in "serious sexual misconduct" and download "depraved images".