Ian Heddle: Former Scottish football player imprisoned for assaulting a female in Thailand
It was discovered that Heddle, 61, had 4,001 movies and 272,936 lewd pictures of kids in his possession.
An ex-football player was sentenced to four years in prison after filming himself molesting a young girl in Thailand.
After being apprehended by authorities, paedophile Ian Heddle, 61, was discovered to have saved 4,001 movies and 272,936 lewd pictures of youngsters.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Heddle played midfield for several Scottish teams, notably St Johnstone and Dunfermline Athletic.
Scotland’s procurator fiscal for high court sexual offences, Katrina Parkes, stated: “British nationals who violate children sexually overseas will be held accountable here.”
“Ian Heddle is a predatory individual who poses a danger to young children.”
Heddle was detained at Edinburgh Airport in February 2023 while attempting to board a flight back to Asia, where he had been employed as a crane operator. Heddle is originally from Dunfermline in Fife.
According to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), police have learnt that Heddle-related MeWe and email accounts have been seen and have uploaded videos of child abuse to the internet.
Heddle said during his questioning that police could discover hundreds of pictures and movies on his hard discs, all of which were organised into folders.
Three recordings found on his iPhone 12 showed Heddle sexually molesting and abusing a little child, who appeared to be about eight years old, while she slept.
The video recordings have date stamps for September and October of 2019 and were recorded in Changwat Chon Buri, Kingdom of Thailand, based on the phone’s GPS.
The recordings did not show Heddle’s face, but they did show his hands, and they revealed that he was wearing a small wedding band.
Heddle acknowledged that he was the one molesting the girl in September 2023 at a follow-up police interview.
According to Police Scotland, in order to guarantee the child’s safety in Thailand and secure a witness statement, the National Crime Agency (NCA) communicated with Royal Thai Police.
“Offenders like Ian Heddle think that they won’t get caught by travelling to the other side of the world to conduct child abuse,” stated Duncan Burrage, international liaison officer of the NCA.
Nonetheless, the NCA is able to locate and obstruct them.
“Borders are not a barrier; we work closely with our partners in the UK and overseas to ensure that Britons committing child abuse offences abroad are prosecuted and vulnerable children are safeguarded, wherever they are in the world.”
Heddle acknowledged sexually abusing the youngster between September and October 2019 at the Glasgow High Court last month.
In August 2019 and February 2023, he entered a guilty plea to two further charges of possessing and creating obscene photographs of children.
On Tuesday, Heddle received a six-year extended term, of which two years would be served on parole after his release from prison.
Additionally, he was permanently added to the sex offenders’ register.
Detective Inspector Adrian Ure of Police Scotland’s National kid Abuse Investigations Unit (NCAIU) stated: “Heddle acted in a horrible manner, showing no consideration for the victims shown in the pictures and films he was watching or the young kid he had sexually abused.
“His sentencing sends a clear message that anyone found guilty of these offences will be brought to justice.”
