Paedophile living in Lochinver directed livestream videos of sexual abuse and rape on young girls in Philippines
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A paedophile who directed sex attacks and rapes of young girls in the Philippines from his home in the Highlands was told to expect a jail sentence.
Gary Campbell paid for the abuse to be carried out by adults as he watched and recorded it in "real time" via a livestream to his address.
The High Court in Edinburgh heard on Monday that some of the prepubescent victims featured in the footage could have been as young as four.
During one assault an adult Filipina asked Campbell if he was excited to see young girls and he replied: "I am always excited to see young girls."
In footage of the rape of two girls aged nine by an unknown male, Campbell was told the man was aged 25 and said: "He is a very lucky guy getting to do a show with these girls."
Campbell (59) admitted 13 charges of sexual assault, causing female children to become providers of sexual services and rape between June 2012 and August 2014 while living at Culag Gardens, Lochinver, in Sutherland.
Advocate depute Margaret Barron told the court: "On May 10 in 2021 officers from the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit in Inverness received information that on September 23, 2020, a female living in the Philippines had been arrested for producing, possessing and distributing indecent images of children and for live streaming child abuse.
"Information was received that the accused Gary Campbell had made payments to this woman on 13 separate occasions," said the prosecutor.
She said a search was carried out at his then home in Lochinver with forensic computer analysts present to carry out a preliminary examination of devices seized.
"A number of devices were seized from the living room, bedroom and hallway, which on later examination were found to contain child sexual abuse material," she said.
Videos recorded during Skype video calls were found and in some of them Campbell's face was visible on a small window on a computer screen as the abuse was livestreamed to him. He could also be seen and heard to type messages onto a laptop.
The advocate depute said a Skype account with the name 'gary24pucket' and the full name 'Gary Campbell' was also found. She said records of payments to adults in the Philippines were also recovered.
She said: "In videos and chat logs, the accused provides directions to those acting in the Philippines to assault the children named in the charges in the manner described.
"For example, on one occasion during the livestreaming of the assaults, the accused advises those broadcasting the live stream he is having difficulty seeing the children which results in the children and adults repositioning themselves to enable the accused to see what is being done to the children, "she said.
The advocate depute said it indicated that Campbell was not only watching the assaults being committed on children in 'real time' but he was directing those adults in the Philippines to assault them and they responded to his directions.
She said that most of the offending Campbell has now admitted was committed on an art and part basis "with the accused present at his home address and the art and part actor referred to in each charge in the Philippines".
During the first assault caught on video he sent a payment for £15.96 to a Filipina who said a girl estimated to be eight or nine years of age would provide a "show". The woman then exposed and molested the child.
In a further assault on another child, who police estimated to be aged nine or 10, Campbell got the naked girl to blow him kisses.
In June 2014 Campbell paid another woman £10.12 who appeared naked with a girl and molested her. He is told that the girl "is going on seven".
The prosecutor said: "He states that she looks younger than seven and asked 'what is the youngest you can get me'."
Campbell made a payment of £30.33 (2000 Filipino pesos) in July 2014 before the rape of two nine-year-old girls by an adult male. He was told it was 1800 "with guy" and said that was a lot for him but he wanted to see it.
The court heard that first offender Campbell, of Windsor Court, Perth, had worked as a water treatment operative and was a retained firefighter.
The judge, Lord Beckett, remanded Campbell – who was on bail prior to the hearing – in custody for the preparation of a background report ahead of sentencing next month.
He said a jail sentence was inevitable and told him: "The court takes a very serious view of what are very serious crimes."
Campbell was placed on the sex offenders' register.
