A sick Scots soft play boss jailed over a child sex abuse image haul hoarded indecent pictures of kids he took while they were at his home for a sleepover.
Steven Paul McInally is beginning a 25-years jail term in America after taking pictures into the country on his mobile phone while going to Florida on holiday.
And US court documents reveal that some of the images which have landed him behind bars were made by himself – of children he knew, who were trusted to stay with him for the night.
The United States Attorney’s Office said: “Some of the child sexual abuse material found on McInally’s cellphone included images of minors that had been taken during a sleepover party that the minors attended at his home.”
The 36-year-old, who lived in Tollcross, Glasgow, and ran the Go Wild soft play in the city’s Bridgeton area, was snared during a border search at the airport.
Officials discovered the offending material on his iPhone as he tried to enter the country and he was arrested and held in custody – and hit with a $1.2million dollar bail bond.
A probe was launched on Scottish soil after Police Scotland was notified of his arrest. The investigation saw his home and the soft play raided by officers.
Police Scotland said previously: “Police Scotland was notified of the arrest of a 35-year-old man from Scotland at Melbourne International Airport, Florida, USA, after he was found to be in possession of indecent images of children.”
At the time they also added: “We are liaising closely with American authorities and making enquiries into any offences which may have been committed in Scotland.”
Today, a Police Scotland spokesperson revealed to the Daily Record that McInally had been reported to Scottish prosecutors over alleged offences committed in Scotland.
They said: “Following an investigation, a 36-year-old man was subject of a report to the Procurator Fiscal in connection with offences under the Sexual Offences Scotland Act 2009.”
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, the organisation responsible for prosecutions in Scotland, was contacted for comment on the Scottish case against McInally.
McInally was detained in the States on August 25, 2023. The United States Attorney’s Office continued: “McInally arrived at the Orlando International Airport on vacation from Scotland.
“Upon his arrival, McInally was subjected to a border search where law enforcement found child sexual abuse material. A forensic review revealed approximately 3,900 images and 70 videos of child sexual abuse material on McInally’s cellphone.”
It is unclear exactly how many of the 3,900 images on McInally’s mobile phone were homemade, how many children were involved, or what the images contained.
The US case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006. Project Safe Childhood was launched by the Department of Justice.
The United States Attorney’s Office said its purpose is “to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse” and seeks “to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims”.
They add: “Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources”.
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