A marine biologist who was sacked after being convicted of stockpiling indecent child abuse videos has been jailed.
Digital forensic examination of Christopher McWhirter’s laptop uncovered around 180 videos in folders titled “filth” and “my dirty life”.
The computer stored hours of footage featuring children as young as four, along with extreme pornography, all downloaded between June 2021 and October 2022.
McWhirter, 32, originally from Buckie, had vehemently denied any responsibility, branding the allegations “sick” and “vile”.
But, a jury took less than an hour and a half to unanimously find him guilty of possessing the sick content that included extreme pornography involving adult females and dogs.
The man from Buckie blamed enemy hackers for framing him
The jury also found McWhirter guilty by a majority verdict of downloading the videos.
During the trial, McWhirter offered a number of explanations of how the illegal material came to be on his laptop.
He stated he had made enemies on the social media site Reddit and through online gaming.
McWhirter claimed someone from one of those communities had hacked into his computer and downloaded the videos.
The former marine biologist also said they may have inadvertently been saved onto the device when he downloaded films and audiobooks while working on boats in the North Sea.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that the police had discovered nearly five hours’ worth of video footage involving boys and girls aged between four and 15 years old on McWhirter’s laptop.
The nature of the content is mostly too disturbing to be reported.
Jurors were shown a police interview, in which it was put to McWhirter that he had downloaded the indecent content through the username “Tophe”, which was linked to an email address.
However, McWhirter strenuously denied this, describing the practice as “sick”.
The disgraced Aberdeen-based marine biologist is now doing manual work
He appeared in the dock for sentencing yesterday.
Defence solicitor Mike Monro told the court that McWhirter continued to deny the offence, which the lawyer conceded made his client’s position “very difficult”.
Mr Monro said McWhirter had been dismissed from his position as a marine biologist as a result of The Press and Journal previously reporting the outcome of his client’s trial.
Now, McWhirter has a new job doing manual work.
“He has had to start anew. It’s light years away from what he did before,” Mr Monro added.
The solicitor described his client as a “first offender” whom he would be “astonished” to see in a courtroom again.
‘I can only impose a custodial sentence’ – sheriff tells offender
Sentencing McWhirter, Sheriff Philip Mann told him that he had been convicted of “serious charges” and of having a “relatively large” amount of child images.
“You were also found in possession of extreme pornographic images involving women and animals,” he added.
“I can only impose a custodial sentence if I determine that no alternative sentence is appropriate,” the sheriff said, adding: “I have to say that I have reached the conclusion that a custodial sentence is in fact the only appropriate sentence.”
McWhirter, of Ashvale Place, Aberdeen, was jailed for 18 months and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
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