Overview

• Peter Sugden, 46, was caught in an undercover sting by a paedophile hunter group after engaging in sexualized online communication with a decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl.
• A police raid on his home uncovered 12 child sexual abuse images, including two Category A photographs, and one video, as well as extreme pornography.
• Sugden pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate indecently with a child and possessing indecent images at Falkirk Sheriff Court in April 2025.
• He was sentenced to a three-year community payback order with supervision, conduct restrictions, and 210 hours of unpaid work, and was added to the sex offenders register.
• Sugden, formerly a prison officer who delivered rehabilitation courses to sex offenders, is no longer employed by the Scottish Prison Service and has begun rehabilitation efforts through child abuse prevention charities.