Paedophile raped young girl while wife filmed attacks

A paedophile who raped a young girl while his wife filmed the attacks has been jailed for ten-and-a-half years.

Damien McCann subjected his victim, who was ten-years-old when the abuse began, to repeated sex assaults at several houses in Midlothian between May 2016 and January 2019.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard how the 35-year-old’s now deceased wife filmed the attacks while verbally encouraging him.

A judge told McCann during sentencing on Wednesday: “Child rape is always an extremely serious offence and here I consider there are factors which rendered your conduct even worse.”

Lady Scott said: “It is difficult to envisage the degree of damage you have caused to your victim.

“For your ongoing sexual gratification you videoed these rapes and sexual abuse. Over 20 recordings of these videos were recovered. The videos are planned and graphic.”

The judge pointed out that McCann had gone on to create musical soundtracks and added titles to recordings and shared images with his partner.

Lady Scott told McCann that he would have faced a 14-year jail sentence but for his guilty pleas.

The judge also ordered that he be kept under supervision for a further three-year period and warned that if he breached licence conditions he could be recalled to prison.

Lady Scott said she took into account that McCann had a physically abusive and neglected childhood and had apologised to the police.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period.

The court heard that McCann’s wife could be heard encouraging him in a recovered recording.

McCann earlier admitted assaulting and raping the girl between May 2016 and January 2019.

He also admitted possessing and making the indecent recordings and distributing material.

The sex offender also pled guilty to possessing a cache of videos and images of extreme pornography, including bestiality.

McCann further pled guilty to assaulting a six-month-old baby girl at a house in Edinburgh between December 2018 and January 2019.

Advocate depute Eric Robertson said the abuse came to light after police received intelligence about indecent images being uploaded to the internet.

During a search of McCann’s former home in Dalkeith officers recovered a laptop and mobile phone.

Following his arrest he said he had looked at a lot of pornography and had accessed the dark web to look for extreme material.

The court heard that McCann could be identified in video recordings that were discovered from distinctive tattoos.

McCann has now been assessed as presenting a high risk of sexual re-offending.

Defence counsel Victoria Dow said McCann had given clear and direct instructions that he wanted to accept full responsibility for his behaviour.

She said: “He accepts entire responsibility for his conduct and acknowledges there is something wrong with him. He said there are no excuses for this.”

She said McCann’s relationship with his wife was volatile. He was now taking medication for anxiety and depression.

McCann followed sentencing proceedings via video link to Edinburgh prison.