In 2025, the Offender Database reported that Donald MacKillop, then 27, of Hilltown, Dundee, was sentenced for a seven-year campaign of downloading child abuse material. On a date in late 2025, MacKillop returned to the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court after admitting to stashing illicit files on his iPhone and a hard drive.
The investigation established that Police Scotland raided MacKillop’s flat in November 2024, discovering that he had been downloading files since Christmas Eve 2017. Officers found 111 sick files, predominantly depicting the abuse of boys aged between five and 16. The prosecution reported that if the 88 videos recovered were played back-to-back, they would run for a full 24 hours. Some of the material was categorised as the most explicit and serious.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that MacKillop lived a fairly isolated life and had no previous convictions before these offences were uncovered. Defence solicitor Joe Myles noted that the defendant had fully co-operated with social workers and made no attempt to minimise his conduct. The prosecution emphasised that the longevity of the offending—spanning seven years—and the presence of highly explicit videos involving young boys demonstrated a serious and entrenched interest in child abuse material.
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael noted that while the threshold for a custodial sentence had been crossed, alternatives to imprisonment were available to address the defendant’s high level of treatment needs. The judge emphasised that the sentence was intended to provide a period of intervention to prevent future offending. For his crimes in Dundee, MacKillop was placed under strict supervision and ordered to participate in a specialist rehabilitation programme.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Scotland, Donald MacKillop was handed:
- Community Payback Order: Three years of supervision.
- Unpaid Work: 120 hours of unpaid work in the community.
- Treatment: Mandatory completion of the Moving Forward: Making Changes programme.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were in effect for 3 years (until 2028).
- Forfeiture: His iPhone and hard drive were ordered to be destroyed.
- Conduct Requirements: A string of strict restrictions on his internet use.
Monitoring and Public Protection
MacKillop is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Police Scotland and the Probation Service. Due to the seven-year duration of his digital offending and the nature of the videos involving young boys, his conduct is subject to oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, MacKillop must comply with mandatory notification requirements regarding his residence in Dundee. Authorities state that the strict conduct requirements regarding his internet use are essential for public safety. Any breach of his registration conditions, his supervision order, or his online restrictions will result in his immediate arrest and return to Dundee Sheriff Court for consideration of a prison term.
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