University Staff Member Pleads Guilty to Child Communications and Abuse Images Charges

Dr Aidan McKay, a University of St Andrews Scientific Officer in the School of Chemistry, has pleaded guilty to serious sexual offences, involving attempts to communicate with a child and the possession of indecent images of children at his Dundee home as well as on University property, Dundee Sheriff Court has heard.

McKay, 32, admitted to attempting to communicate with someone he believed to be a twelve-year-old girl and downloading sensitive materials involving children. This was revealed as the result of an undercover police operation aimed at identifying online grooming activity. According to court proceedings, McKay used an online chat platform to initiate communication with a user he believed to be a minor named ‘Chloe’; the account was instead operated by an undercover officer. 

Prosecutor Joanne Ritchie told the court that communication began on Chatiw, a platform known for being used for child-grooming purposes, after which “the conversations accelerated and transferred to Snapchat,” as Press Reader stated. Contact between the two accounts ended on 13 February, 2025, when McKay became suspicious. 

Court documents revealed that McKay used the username ‘Prvforgirls’ on Chatiw and described himself as a 30-year-old man from Scotland. Despite the account representing a young girl, prosecutors said he continued sending explicit messages and asked the individual questions of a sexual nature, like if she did “naughty things” with “old men,” as Press Reader stated.

Investigators later traced the activity to IP addresses registered to the University of St Andrews. Prosecutors stated that many of the communications took place during working hours. Police were also able to identify location data linked to McKay’s Snapchat activity, which corresponded with both his workplace and his home address in Dundee. 

Following the investigation, officers executed a search warrant at his home. “The court heard how more than 980 indecent images of children were uncovered from a mobile phone and a system unit,” the prosecution stated as Press Reader wrote. In addition to the images, investigators also found dozens of videos with a combined running time of nearly two hours.

McKay replied “no comment” to all questions asked during police interviews.

In an email sent to students on the CH4421 Chemistry Research Skills Laboratory module, the Chemistry Head of School acknowledged the case and its potential impact on students, while also confirming that the individual had assisted with teaching activities in the chemistry department during the previous academic semester of the 2025-26 academic year. 

“For legal reasons, neither I nor the University can make any comment on this matter. All appropriate procedures are being followed, and the individual concerned has been suspended,” the message stated. It added that “neither the School nor the University had any prior knowledge of this case.”

The email also noted that the situation could be distressing for students and reminded them that support services were available through academic advisers and University wellbeing resources.

McKay pleaded guilty to the charges at an initial court hearing. Defence counsel Kevin Jarvis requested that mitigation be reserved until a social work report is prepared. Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentencing until April and placed McKay on the sex offenders register on an interim basis pending the outcome of the report. 

In response to The Saint’s request for comment, a University spokesperson reiterated that “the University cannot comment on an ongoing Court case."

More information on the issues raised in this article can be accessed by Rape Crisis Scotland on their website https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/help-helpline/ or by calling the National Rape Crisis helpline on 08088 01 03 01. Advice and support from the university can be found by visiting https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/students/sexual-misconduct/.

Photo by Christopher Kelly-Brown