Ghosthunter exposed as paedophile

David Gillchrist leaves Kirkcaldy court in handcuffs

(c) David Wardle — David Gillchrist leaves Kirkcaldy court in handcuffs (c) David Wardle

David Gilchrist, from Dunfermline, set up a camera in his home to try to capture unusual goings-on.

But instead he caught unsuspecting images of a young girl, aged between 13 and 16 at the time, drying herself after showering.

Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court heard Gilchrist found the footage then went on to film her a further three times over a period of 17 months.

And when police investigating the crime looked at his computers they found hundreds of child-porn images – some at the highest levels of severity on the scale used to measure abuse  pictures.

Gilchrist, who had known his victim since she was five years old, was jailed for 14 months after a sheriff told him: “You deliberately filmed this young girl in circumstances which caused her considerable distress.”

He added: “This was a serious breach of trust.”

Gilchrist, 37, pleaded guilty on indictment to two charges.

The first stated that between October 2011 and June 2014 he downloaded indecent images of children while the second stated that between January 2013 and June 2014 he filmed a girl aged between 13 and 16 doing a private act, in that he recorded the girl naked while drying herself after showering.

Defence solicitor Gordon Martin said Gilchrist had admitted the offences and spared his victim from having to give evidence in court.

He said: “He had known the victim since she was five years old.

“The images had been deleted from the USB drive they were stored on and it was passed on to his wife – he didn’t destroy the device.

“This filming started off because of paranormal activity.

“Some of the videos recovered include him and thereafter the girl was captured and then matters progressed.

“There are three videos of the girl and that is three too many.

“The images had been deleted and were no longer available to him unless he had specialist equipment.

“He has a problem that requires to be addressed.

“He is in employment as a warehouse operative and could undertake unpaid work in the community.

“His plea meant the complainer didn’t have to give evidence which is significant in this case.”

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC jailed Gilchrist for 14 months, and imposed a 22-month extended sentence that will see him supervised in the community upon his release.

He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.

The sheriff said: “The indecent images charge represents a significant quantity of images of children being abused.

“In relation to the other charge, I have to have regard to the fact that it represents a substantial breach of trust in the circumstances in which it was committed.

“Even taking in to account the initial set-up of the equipment may not have been to the use it was eventually put, it is now admitted you deliberately filmed this young girl in circumstances which caused her considerable distress.”