JOHN MCDONALD FROM GREENOCK CAUGHT WITH CHILD ABUSE VIDEOS AND BUSTED FOR BAIL BREACH

In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Greenock, John McDonald, a 53-year-old resident of the town, was found to be in possession of a large collection of child sexual abuse material. The investigation revealed that McDonald had hoarded numerous indecent videos depicting children as young as two years old, with some of the most severe content classified as Category A, representing the most heinous level of abuse.

According to court reports, McDonald had stored these illicit videos on his mobile phone, a black Nokia device, which he kept hidden within a bubble wrap bag concealed inside an armchair in his flat located in the town centre. The discovery was made after police responded to a welfare call made by McDonald himself during a midnight phone call to his sister in September 2019. During this call, McDonald confessed to being a paedophile and expressed suicidal thoughts, prompting immediate police intervention.

Prosecutor Claire Rowan detailed that McDonald had contacted his sister and openly admitted to having sexual thoughts about children, stating that he was contemplating ending his life. Concerned for his safety and the potential danger he posed, his sister contacted law enforcement authorities. When officers arrived at his residence, they found the phone hidden in the bubble wrap bag. Forensic analysis of the device uncovered a staggering 3,306 indecent images and videos of children, with the SIM card alone containing 3,192 images. These included 234 videos classified as Category A, 477 as Category B, and 2,481 as Category C.

Further examination revealed that the material depicted children aged between two and fifteen years old. The collection included 92 readily accessible Category A videos, along with additional content categorized as B and C. The police also found that McDonald had been downloading these images over a period of years, indicating a long-standing pattern of offending behavior.

McDonald’s criminal conduct extended beyond possession. He had been subject to bail conditions that explicitly prohibited him from using any device capable of internet browsing. However, police apprehended him with a Samsung smartphone in October 2020, breaching the bail condition. He subsequently pleaded guilty to charges of possessing indecent images of children and breaching bail conditions during a court hearing.

His legal representative, Aidan Gallagher, requested that mitigation be reserved until background reports could be prepared, suggesting that these documents would provide further context for sentencing. Sheriff Joseph Hughes ordered that McDonald be placed on the Sex Offenders Register, with the duration of his registration to be determined at a sentencing hearing scheduled for next month. Until then, McDonald’s bail conditions remain in effect, and the case continues to be closely monitored by authorities.