Sex offender who admitted guilt then tried to withdraw guilty plea jailed

A sex offender who tried to retract his confession over a haul of indecent photographs of children has been jailed.

Ross Coleman was caught with the most extreme type of images there is, featuring victims as young as four.

More than 300 illegal files were discovered on a mobile phone at his home in Paisley, Renfrewshire.

He pleaded guilty over his illegal stash but tried to withdraw his guilty plea.

The 26-year-old even changed solicitors in a bid to have his new lawyers change his plea back to not guilty.

But Sheriff Gillian Craig refused to let him withdraw the guilty plea and jailed him for 12 months at Paisley Sheriff Court today, Thursday, January 15, 2026.

She also ordered that he be supervised by social workers for 12 months after being released from prison. 

As she did so, she slammed him for his conduct, which included not complying properly with a Community Payback Order imposed over a previous child abuse images case.

He was supposed to attend a treatment programme to help sex offenders change their ways but did not comply with it.

Sheriff Craig said his offending was "so prolific and so entrenched" and said: "His attitude, for want of a better expression, has stunk".

Said added: "You are a high risk of reoffending.

"The only sentence available to me is a custodial disposal.

"I will impose an extended sentence."

She also made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for a period of seven years.

The order is planned to limit his offending.

The court heard previously that Coleman was found to be in possession of over 300 images containing horrific child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Officers found several electronic devices within his home, including two mobile phones.

Analysis of the handsets revealed he had 335 illegal pictures and 15 banned videos

The children involved were aged between four and 15 years old.