Suzy Cairns appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court

Suzie Cairns – who admitted having pornographic pictures of children being sexually abused – insisted the extent of the apparent sex session with her Golden Labrador had been “exaggerated”.

She said: “There was no intercourse with the dog, and that is what was implied. What’s said is that I had sex with the dog and I didn’t.”

Cairns, 39, was speaking after being sentenced at Livingston Sheriff Court on Friday.

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She also pled guilty to possessing “extreme pornographic images depicting in an explicit way a female engaging in sexual activity with a dog”.

She was placed under social work supervision for three years under a community payback order as a direct alternative to a prison sentence.

She was also told her name would remain on the sex offenders’ register for three years with strict conditions about access to children under 16 and internet capable devices.

She will have to attend appointments with her supervising officer as and when required to promote her rehabilitation and work on “attitudes and other risk factors” behind her offending.

Neil Stewart, defending, said the background report on his client was very positive, she had no previous convictions and she showed insight into her offending.

He said: “She now has the ignominy of having a conviction like this to her name.

“She’s also subject to the notification requirements under the sex offenders’ regiser and, if I can put it this way, she’s also been subject to the court of the public in respect of reporting of it in the press.

“She’s afraid to leave her home that’s causing her distress, but she accepts she’s put herself in that situation. I’m not trying to excuse her actions.”

Passing sentence, Sheriff Martin Edington told Cairns: “Your solicitor has made it vey clear how ashamed and embarrassed and remorseful you are.

“I’m prepared to take into account there were not a large number of images and you’ve got no previous convictions so I am not today going to deprive you of your liberty.”

At an earlier hearing it was revealed that detectives from Police Scotland’s Cyber Crime Unit got a tip-off that the Cairns’ internet IP address had been used to access indecent images of children.

Officers got a search warrant and went to her home in Falconer Rise, Livingston.

She was interviewed and her mobile phone was seized and examined. The indecent images and other images were found on the phone.

There were three Category ‘B’ images showing non-penetrative sexual activity and 161 photographs in the least serious Category ‘C,.

In addition, there was one Category ‘A’ movie involving children as well as the extreme video showing sex with the dog.

Cairns was interviewed and made various admissions to officers before being arrested and charged.