A PRESTONPANS man has been caught in possession of more than 900 indecent images of children.

William McLean was found to have downloaded the material when police raided his home on the town’s Kirk Street in August last year.

The 47-year-old was said to have had a small number of Category A images - the worst kind - along with more than 900 pictures rated at Category C.

He admitted possessing  images of child abuse when he appeared in the dock at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and returned for sentencing on Friday.

Solicitor Ross Gardner, representing McLean, said that his client had committed the offence during a period of “social isolation”.

Sheriff Gillian Sharp issued McLean with a community payback order as a direct alternative to a custodial sentence.

McLean was placed on supervision for six months and ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work in the community.

He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for six months.