Foreign student in court for photographing schoolchildren in street

Court: Sheriff Charles Macnair said the pictures would not have caused concern 20 years ago.© STV

An overseas student has admitted a breach of the peace after he was arrested for taking pictures of schoolchildren in the street.

Tiaukhai Iunn, from Taiwan, took a series of photos of children in uniform during a return visit to St Andrews, Fife, where he had previously studied.

Sheriff Charles Macnair ruled there was "no sexual element" to the crime and put it down to "cultural differences", adding: "20 years ago no-one would have been concerned about these photos."

He deferred sentence for six months, ordering Iunn to be of good behaviour in the meantime.

Procurator fiscal-depute Nicola Henderson told Cupar Sheriff Court that police examined Iunn's phone, laptop and memory stick but found no images that were indecent.

Iunn, who was accompanied to court by a minister and is understood to be studying divinity, pled guilty to a charge of conducting himself in a disorderly manner and repeatedly taking photographs of schoolchildren.

The 31-year-old, of Bankton Brae, Livingston, West Lothian, already has a Masters degree in social anthropology from St Andrews University.

Sheriff Macnair said: "In this country, not long ago, there wouldn't have been any concern about this. I'm not saying the concern is not justified, I'm just saying it wouldn't have been there a few years ago.

"You are here as a visitor and guest in this country. Unfortunately different countries have different views on various things and no doubt a British visitor to your country could run up against similar cultural differences."

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