Ian Heddle: Former Scottish footballer jailed for sexually abusing girl in Thailand | UK news

Heddle, 61, was found to have stored 272,936 indecent images of children and 4,001 videos.

A former football player who recorded videos of himself sexually abusing a young girl in Thailand has been sentenced to four years in prison.

61-year-old paedophile Ian Heddle was arrested by police and caught storing 272,936 indecent images of children and 4,001 videos.

Heddle played midfield for several Scottish clubs in the 1980s and 1990s, including Dunfermline Athletic and St. Johnstone.

Katrina Parkes, Scotland’s High Court Sexual Offences Prosecutor, said: “British citizens who sexually abuse children abroad will be brought to justice here.”

“Ian Heddle is a predatory individual who poses a danger to young children.”

Heddle, originally from Dunfermline in Fife, was arrested in Edinburgh Airport in February 2023 as he tried to fly back to Asia, where he had worked as a crane operator.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) said police had received information that email and MeWe accounts linked to Heddle had viewed and uploaded child abuse material to the internet.

During his questioning, Heddle admitted that officers found thousands of images and videos on his hard drives and that they were categorized in folders.

Three videos discovered on his iPhone 12 showed Heddle abusing a child of about eight years old while he was sleeping and performing sexual acts in his presence.

The clips were date stamped for September and October 2019 and, according to the phone’s GPS, were recorded in Changwat Chon Buri in the Kingdom of Thailand.

Heddle’s facial features were not visible in the videos, but his hands were visible, showing that he was wearing a distinctive thin wedding ring.

During a second police interview in September 2023, Heddle admitted that he was the one who had abused the girl.

According to Police Scotland, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has contacted the Royal Thai Police to ensure the child’s protection in Thailand and to obtain a witness statement.

Duncan Burrage, NCA international liaison officer, said: “Offenders like Ian Heddle believe they will not be caught if they travel to the other side of the world to commit child abuse.”

“However, the NCA has the ability to identify and disrupt them.

“Borders are no barrier. We work closely with our partners in the UK and abroad to ensure that Britons who commit child abuse offences abroad are prosecuted and that vulnerable children are protected wherever they are in the world.”

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At the Supreme Court in Glasgow Last month, Heddle admitted to sexually abusing the child between September and October 2019.

He pleaded guilty to two further charges, namely possessing and producing indecent images of children between August 2019 and February 2023.

Heddle was sentenced on Tuesday to an extended six-year prison sentence, including four years in custody and two years on probation after his release from public life.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.

Detective Inspector Adrian Ure of Police Scotland’s National Child Abuse Investigations Unit (NCAIU) said: “Heddle’s behaviour was deplorable, with no thought for the young child he sexually abused or the victims seen in the images and videos he viewed.”

“His conviction sends a clear message that anyone found guilty of these crimes will be brought to justice.”