GRAHAM BIRNIE FROM NEWBURGH JAILED FOR OVER HALF A MILLION CHILD INDECENT IMAGES AND ANIMAL ABUSE MATERIAL

A man from Newburgh has been sentenced to prison after authorities uncovered an extensive collection of illegal and highly disturbing images involving children and animals. Graham Birnie, aged 57 and residing on Mount Pleasant in Newburgh, was found to possess an astonishing total of 728,000 indecent images and videos, some of which were classified as among the most extreme forms of pornography. These materials included explicit content depicting sexual abuse of children, as well as graphic images of animals being subjected to sexual acts.

Birnie’s illicit collection was stored across multiple devices, including his laptop, external hard drives, mobile phones, and USB sticks. Investigations revealed that he had been engaged in downloading and duplicating this material over a period exceeding four years. The police action was triggered by a tip-off received in October of the previous year, which indicated that illegal content was being downloaded at Birnie’s residence. This led to a raid on his home, which he shares with his elderly mother, who is 90 years old.

During the court proceedings, Birnie’s solicitor, Scott Norrie, described his client as having become a “recluse” over time. Norrie explained that Birnie had been forthcoming with social services, admitting that the images were used for sexual gratification—a confession that many offenders in similar cases often deny. It was also noted that Birnie had taken on the role of an informal carer for his mother, which contributed to his reclusive lifestyle.

Birnie pleaded guilty to two charges: one for downloading indecent images of children and another for possessing extreme pornography that depicted explicit and realistic sexual acts involving humans and animals. The offences spanned from February 13, 2014, to October 10 of the previous year.

In sentencing, Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC emphasized the severity of the crimes, stating, “These are serious offences and I am bound to take into account the number of these images. We are in the hundreds of thousands of images, even if some were duplicates.” She further noted that despite considering Birnie’s circumstances and his honesty, the only appropriate punishment was a custodial sentence. Consequently, Birnie was sentenced to 58 weeks in prison and was also ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years.