Unpaid work for abuse images man 'on Madeleine McCann crusade'
An Aberdeen man caught with images of child abuse who claimed he was trying to find missing Madeleine McCann has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.
David Brinkman, 68, admitting trawling through hundreds of indecent images and videos of children.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court had previously heard that Brinkman was a "one-man crusade".
He was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, and was placed on the sex offenders register.
Madeleine was three when she disappeared in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 while on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry.
The court was told that the hundreds of indecent pictures and clips were downloaded because Brinkman suspected that Madeleine had been abducted by a paedophile ring, and he thought it could help find her.
Sheriff Graeme Napier said: "This is one of the more unusual cases of this type that I've had to deal with.
"From the reports available it appears that you do not pose a significant risk to children.
"Having considered all of the reports I'm satisfied that I can deal with you by way of a community payback order."
He added: "This is a serious offence which could have justified a custodial sentence."