David Love — who also shared disgusting material online — avoided a prison sentence after he was handed a community payback order

Love sent a number of indecent images of children to another pervert on Snapchat before police swooped on him in a 7am raid at his parents’ west end home.

The 31-year-old sex offender was caught with a total of 75 indecent images of children, including 18 videos and seven still photos classed as category A — the worst level in law.

Love — who concealed his face outside court after pleading guilt — says he found the material whilst watching adult pornography during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020.

The court heard previously how Love had his collection of still and moving images of children being sexually abused and exploited on an iPad, a laptop and a computer hard drive.

Cybercrime police swooped on his parents’ west end home, where he lives, as part of an intelligence-led operation.

Love — who gave a ‘no comment’ interview to police — took possession of the indecent images on various occasions between February and May 2020.

He sent illegal material over Snapchat on May 8 and 9 that year.

The sheriff said: “We may never know the identity of these children but be in no doubt that each and every one has become a defenceless victim.”

Sheriff Smith placed Love on a three-year supervision order and told him he must complete 225 hours of unpaid work within 12 months as a direct alternative to prison.