Prison officer who ran sex offender rehab caught with child abuse images and donkey porn

Peter Sugden’s home was raided by police in June last year where they found extreme porn including a woman having sex with a donkey.

11:54, 21 May 2025 Updated 12:00, 21 May 2025

A disgraced Scottish prison officer who delivered “intensive” rehab courses to sex offenders has been placed on the register himself after being caught with child abuse material and extreme porn including a woman having sex with a donkey.

Peter Sugden’s home in Reddingmuirhead, Falkirk, was raided by police in June last year after he was caught in a “sting” set up London-based group of paedophile hunters.

The 46-year-old former HMP Edinburgh officer appeared for sentence at Falkirk Sheriff Court on Tuesday, May 20, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to communicating indecently someone he thought was a child called “Abbie”, but was in fact a adult female decoy named Sonia.

Sugden, now of Rumford, near Maddiston, and working as a driver, also admitted possessing and downloading child porn, and possessing extreme porn including images depicting the woman engaged in sexual activity with the donkey and men engaged in sexual activity with dogs.

The court heard that 12 child sexual abuse and exploitation images and one child sexual abuse and exploitation video were found. Two of the photographs were considered Category A, the most serious kind.

Solicitor Sarah McIlwham, defending, said Sugden had no previous convictions.

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She said: “Until the events which bring us to court today, he was a happily married man – married for over 20 years. There are two children of that union.

“Up until this offence, he’d been working in SPS as a prison officer for in excess of 22 years.

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“He had a very positive upbringing. His parents are here today.

“These offences have caused great distress, not only to his ex-wife and daughters but also to his parents and immediate family.

“Mr Sugden is a man who never thought he would be in front of the courts but finds himself here after a significant lapse in judgemen

“It’s something for which he’s deeply remorseful and regretful of. However he takes full responsibility.

“He’s had his life turned upside down by these offences.

“He was put out the family home. He has not returned, he has no chances of reconciliation with his wife and quite frankly he is too ashamed to try.

“Similarly, the relationship he has with his two daughters is strained.

“There was a lapse in judgement. His mental health prior to this offending had been significantly down. He’s currently medicated for that. He doesn’t see himself coming off this medication for some time.

“He is a man somewhat broken by his actions.”