A pensioner who amassed what is thought to be the largest collection of child sexual abuse material ever seized by police in Scotland has been jailed for four years.

Alan MacPherson, 83, from Stenhousemuir, was found to have more than two million images on various electronic devices after his home was raided in 2025.

More than 805,000 were identified as depicting child sexual abuse - much of it in the most serious category - while the overwhelming scale of his collection meant much of material was not checked and categorised.

MacPherson was told by Sheriff Mayram Labaki that the scale of his crime was "exceptional".

The sheriff said: "The quantity [of images] was so great that a substantial proportion could not be examined and categorised by forensic examiners.

"Every image records the abuse or exploitation of a child. The possession and circulation of such material perpetuates that abuse."

MacPherson will also be supervised for three years following his release from jail and placed on the sex offenders register for life.

He previously admitted downloading the material over a 14-year period.

Sheriff Labaki added: "Your views towards your offending and your victims are unconscionable.

"I refer specifically to the passages in the [social work] report where you state that not only were the children consenting, but they were willing participants.

"Your attitude is unremorseful".

Falkirk Sheriff Court was told that police seized nine devices – computers, phones, digital cameras, a USB stick and external drives – and child abuse material was found on all of them.

Five of the devices were subjected to a full examination.

The court heard previously that almost 1.4 million images remained ungraded on one of the devices, due to the extent of the collection.

MacPherson was caught after police identified his IP address was being used to distribute child abuse material.

Prosecutor Rachel Wallace said that in July 2025, MacPherson posted multiple images of child sexual exploitation, classed as the most serious, during an online chat with an undercover police officer.

Although he was using a messaging app designed to be anonymous, police were able to trace the messages to his home.

The child victims were girls, mostly aged between nine and 15, but at least one was possibly as young as seven.

Wallace said: "Police have advised us this is quite possibly the largest collection of child sexual abuse material ever seen by Police Scotland."

When MacPherson was arrested and interviewed, he told police he had searched online for years for indecent images of children "for his own personal gratification".

Solicitor advocate Stephen Biggam, defending, said MacPherson would "steadily lose his eyesight" due to macular degeneration.

He said: "The court might take the view that will eliminate or significantly mitigate any risk going forward.

"His wife has served divorce papers on him in custody.

"It's been made plain to him that his wife, his son, and 99% of people in general, want nothing more to do with him."