A ghost hunter was exposed as a pedophile after investigators discovered that he not only set up cameras in his home to capture paranormal activities, but to capture a young girl as she undressed, reports Fife Today .
Over the course of 17 months, 37-year-old David Gilchrist of Nith Street, Dunfermline, filmed an underage girl showering and drying herself off with a towel. Investigators also uncovered that “between October 2 2011 and June 25 2014, he download countless of indecent images of children.”
David Gilchrist – Fife http://t.co/teBV8O5KRe pic.twitter.com/pIYZOM3KSx
— InowhereurCusoon (@InowhereUR) July 29, 2015
Initially, the ghost hunter was setting up the cameras to capture paranormal activities in his home, but when he realized the camera also captured a young girl showering and executing a private act, he continued to film her.
“You deliberately filmed this young girl in circumstances which caused her considerable distress,” said the Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court. “This was a serious breach of trust.”
According to STV News , Gilchrist had known the girl who he secretly filmed beginning in October, 2011, since she was 5-years-old. After viewing the images and footage of the child, he would destroy them, but investigators were able to recover them, along with other indecent child images.
“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,” said defense attorney Gordon Martin.
“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 continued. “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.”
“The indecent images charge represents a significant quantity of images of children being abused,” said Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist.
“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 setup 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.”
Gilchrist pleaded guilty to the crimes, and he is now serving 14 months in jail followed by a 22-month extended sentence.
The exposed ghost hunter will also remain on the sex offenders list for 10 years upon his release.
[Image courtesy of Jsawkins / Flickr / CC-BY-SA 2.0 ]