Ex-Footballer Ian Heddle Jailed for Child Abuse in Thailand

[webfact]

Ian Heddle. Pic: Police Scotland

 

An ex-footballer who recorded videos of himself sexually assaulting a young girl in Thailand has been jailed for four years. Ian Heddle, 61, was found to have stored 272,936 indecent images of children alongside 4,001 videos after being apprehended by police.

 

Heddle, who played midfield for Scottish clubs including Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone in the 1980s and 1990s, was arrested at Edinburgh Airport in February 2023. He was about to fly back to Asia, where he had been working as a crane operator.

 

The investigation began when police received intelligence linking Heddle's email and MeWe accounts to child abuse material online. In his interview, Heddle admitted officers would find thousands of images and videos on his hard drives, meticulously categorised into folders.

 

Among the disturbing finds were three videos on his iPhone 12, date-stamped September and October 2019, showing him abusing a young girl. The videos were recorded in Changwat Chon Buri, Thailand. Although his face was not visible, Heddle’s distinctive thin wedding band made identification possible, reported sky news.

 

The National Crime Agency (NCA) liaised with the Royal Thai Police to ensure the child's safeguarding and secure a vital witness statement. Duncan Burrage of the NCA emphasised the global reach of their capabilities: "Offenders like Ian Heddle think that travelling to the other side of the world offers them immunity. But our collaboration with international partners ensures justice."

 

At the High Court in Glasgow last month, Heddle admitted to sexually assaulting the child and possessing and making indecent images of children. On Tuesday, he received a six-year extended sentence: four years in custody, followed by two years on licence upon release. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

 

Detective Inspector Adrian Ure of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigations Unit remarked, "Heddle's behaviour was deplorable, demonstrating no regard for his victims. This sentencing sends a clear message that offenders will be brought to justice."

 

Source: Sky News

 

-- 2024-07-31

 

- Cigna offers a variety of health insurance plans designed to meet the minimum requirement for medical treatment coverage, with benefits reaching up to THB 3 million. These plans are tailored to provide comprehensive healthcare solutions for expatriates, ensuring peace of mind and access to quality medical services. To explore the full range of Cigna's expat health insurance options and find a plan that suits your needs, click here for more information.

 

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[watchcat]

23 minutes ago, webfact said:

An ex-footballer who recorded videos of himself sexually assaulting a young girl in Thailand has been jailed for four years. Ian Heddle, 61, was found to have stored 272,936 indecent images of children alongside 4,001 videos after being apprehended by police.

 

And for this crime he gets 4 years, should be more.

[OneMoreFarang]

45 minutes ago, webfact said:

Heddle’s distinctive thin wedding band made identification possible

It seems he is not the smartest cookie in the jar. 

[Will B Good]

39 minutes ago, watchcat said:

 

And for this crime he gets 4 years, should be more.

The only thing I could say is........ four years inside a Glasgow jail as a kiddy fiddler......will seem like a lifetime!!

[smedly]

upon his release he should be transferred to Thailand to face charges and locked up here for another 6 years

[edwinchester]

Four years for the sexual abuse of a young child and the possession of child pornography is shamefully short. I hate to think he may be out in two years for good behaviour. Hopefully he fellow prisoners will make his stay particularly memorable for him.

[Homburg]

1 hour ago, watchcat said:

 

And for this crime he gets 4 years, should be more.

Agreed. I was surprised at such a light sentence.  Judge a football fan perhaps?

[transam]

Just 4 years..........?  

[stix40]

He can share a cell with 

Hugh Edwards! 

Scum bags 

[hotchilli]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

An ex-footballer who recorded videos of himself sexually assaulting a young girl in Thailand has been jailed for four years. Ian Heddle, 61, was found to have stored 272,936 indecent images of children alongside 4,001 videos after being apprehended by police.

Good, hope he gets fiddled with 

[rumeaug]

Just 4 years for asssaulting and filming it? Pathetic

[thesetat2013]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Detective Inspector Adrian Ure of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigations Unit remarked, "Heddle's behaviour was deplorable, demonstrating no regard for his victims. This sentencing sends a clear message that offenders will be brought to justice."

The Op calls this justice? 100s of thousands of kids sexually exploited and all he got was a few years. Wow! 

[rwill]

Sexually abusing children is extremely horrible.

Recording it is extremely stupid.

[Frankie baby]

It would be more appropriate if he did the time in a Thai jail were the offenses were committed.

[Dutchjohn]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

The only thing I could say is........ four years inside a Glasgow jail as a kiddy fiddler......will seem like a lifetime!!

And maybe it will be a lifetime

[Liverpool Lou]

8 minutes ago, Frankie baby said:

It would be more appropriate if he did the time in a Thai jail were the offenses were committed.

It wouldn't be any way "appropriate" as he wasn't charged by Thai authorities.

[ChipButty]

Should have been 10 years, pathetic sentence 

[ryandb]

4 YEARS!!! This guy has probably caused this poor child at least 60-70 years of future trauma so lets start at that number as a base line for the sentencing.

[ronster]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

upon his release he should be transferred to Thailand to face charges and locked up here for another 6 years

Put a 1 before the 6 and getting close 👍

[Mark989]

He should receive years in prison for possession of each photo and/or video. Who knew Scotland was so permissive when it comes to the sexual abuse of children? (me for one). In American lingo, his sentence is a "slap on the wrist". Thailand should request he be deported so he can be sentenced appropriately. Shame on Scotland's judicial system.

[andyman57]

He'll be separated from other's I've done work in some prisons and the lifer's had there own building life of luxury even had a menu at Xmas to choose there food gartree prison

[Mywayboy]

Hope gets Sugared & Barbwired inside prison. 

[Liverpool Lou]

9 minutes ago, Mark989 said:

Thailand should request he be deported so he can be sentenced appropriately. Shame on Scotland's judicial system.

Nationals cannot be deported from their own countries.   What has he been charged with in Thailand?

[RJRS1301]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Ian Heddle. Pic: Police Scotland

 

An ex-footballer who recorded videos of himself sexually assaulting a young girl in Thailand has been jailed for four years. Ian Heddle, 61, was found to have stored 272,936 indecent images of children alongside 4,001 videos after being apprehended by police.

 

Heddle, who played midfield for Scottish clubs including Dunfermline Athletic and St Johnstone in the 1980s and 1990s, was arrested at Edinburgh Airport in February 2023. He was about to fly back to Asia, where he had been working as a crane operator.

 

The investigation began when police received intelligence linking Heddle's email and MeWe accounts to child abuse material online. In his interview, Heddle admitted officers would find thousands of images and videos on his hard drives, meticulously categorised into folders.

 

Among the disturbing finds were three videos on his iPhone 12, date-stamped September and October 2019, showing him abusing a young girl. The videos were recorded in Changwat Chon Buri, Thailand. Although his face was not visible, Heddle’s distinctive thin wedding band made identification possible, reported sky news.

 

The National Crime Agency (NCA) liaised with the Royal Thai Police to ensure the child's safeguarding and secure a vital witness statement. Duncan Burrage of the NCA emphasised the global reach of their capabilities: "Offenders like Ian Heddle think that travelling to the other side of the world offers them immunity. But our collaboration with international partners ensures justice."

 

At the High Court in Glasgow last month, Heddle admitted to sexually assaulting the child and possessing and making indecent images of children. On Tuesday, he received a six-year extended sentence: four years in custody, followed by two years on licence upon release. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely.

 

Detective Inspector Adrian Ure of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigations Unit remarked, "Heddle's behaviour was deplorable, demonstrating no regard for his victims. This sentencing sends a clear message that offenders will be brought to justice."

 

Source: Sky News

 

-- 2024-07-31

 

- Cigna offers a variety of health insurance plans designed to meet the minimum requirement for medical treatment coverage, with benefits reaching up to THB 3 million. These plans are tailored to provide comprehensive healthcare solutions for expatriates, ensuring peace of mind and access to quality medical services. To explore the full range of Cigna's expat health insurance options and find a plan that suits your needs, click here for more information.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

Every one of those images has a victim

How emboldened do these perverts feel, that they store and video themselves abusing a child?

4 years to me is manifestly inadequate for the safety of children

 

[Loyl]

1 hour ago, smedly said:

upon his release he should be transferred to Thailand to face charges and locked up here for another 6 years

Well said 

[klauskunkel]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Detective Inspector Adrian Ure of Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigations Unit remarked, "This sentencing sends a clear message that offenders will be brought to justice."

In the spirit of generalization employed by the above Detective Inspector: This sentencing sends a clear message that offenders will get only 4 years in prison.

[soalbundy]

3 hours ago, watchcat said:

 

And for this crime he gets 4 years, should be more.

I think those 4 years in prison as a child sex offender will feel like 100.

[IamNoone88]

Deviant ... what the hell is wrong with these people.

[kwaussie]

Hopefully he can be red flagged and banned from all Asian countries. 

[nakhonandy]

3 hours ago, Will B Good said:

The only thing I could say is........ four years inside a Glasgow jail as a kiddy fiddler......will seem like a lifetime!!

It would do if he was put in with the general population. 

However, this scum will be protected and isolated from the hard men.

Could he not have served his time in Thailand? No such protected luxury then.