A CLASSROOM assistant who hoarded a stash of child pornography while working at the school where his mother taught blamed his offending on an attention disorder.
Moray Kent Nicholson’s claimed he was not a paedophile and said he only collected the images for the “rush of doing something prohibited.”
The 22-year-old admitted being involved in creating indecent images of children at Edinburgh sheriff court in April this year.
Nicholson was due to be sentenced today, but this was deferred by Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie QC deferred sentencing to consider medical reports on Mr Nicholson.
Nicholson worked at Corstorphine Primary School in Edinburgh, and said he once dressed up as Santa Clause for the pupils.
The period of the offending coincided with his six-week work placement at the school, but education authorities have denied any children at Corstorphine Primary were involved.
The council has said he never had any “unsupervised access” to children at the school.
Nicholson earlier admitted to taking or permitting to be taken or making indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children at the family home in Saughtonhall Drive, Murrayfield, between 24 July and 13 October 2010.
Speaking at the court today (Wed) Nicholson’s defence agent Gavin Anderson insisted his client did not pose a threat to youngsters.
He said: “This is a case of a man from a good family. Mr Nicholson poses no threat to children.
“His actions were the result of his suffering ADHD [Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder].
“They were done for the rush of doing something prohibited rather than sexual gratification.
“He knows he shouldn’t have done it.”
His mother Anne Kent, 51, worked at the school.
Nicholson passed disclosure checks as he had no criminal record at the time.
Edinburgh council said he never had any unsupervised access to children while working at the school.
Nicholson’s placement at the school ended when police contacted the education authorities to tell them they were investigating.
The 22-year-old, who now lives with his family in Leith, Edinburgh, has not commented on the case, but has said he “played Santa once” at the school.
Sentencing on Nicholson was deferred until later this month.
Mike Resondale, Edinburgh council’s head of schools, said: “Mike Rosendale, head of schools at the city council, said: “Mr Nicholson participated in a work placement at Corstorphine Primary School for six weeks in 2010, although he did not have unsupervised access to pupils.
“We are aware of these very serious charges and would like to emphasise that they do not relate to his work placement.
“All necessary disclosure checks were carried out before his placement commenced.”
