Highland man travelled 500 miles to have sex with schoolgirl he met online

A man from the Highlands travelled 500 miles to have sex with a schoolgirl he met online.

Santiago McMurtrie, from Kinlochleven, was arrested at his home by Police Scotland on November 8, 2020, for sexually grooming the child he met on Pinterest.

The paedophile told his wife that he was going fishing on the Scottish Coast, when in fact, he had made the trip to Hopton in Norfolk to meet the victim.

Her family was alerted in November 2020 when the victim disclosed the relationship at school. She also told a family member that she had sex with McMurtrie, that he loved her, and they were going to be together.

The convicted sex offender told her that when “she turned 16”, he would travel down to meet her family, and she believed she was in love.

The victim had McMurtrie’s two mobile numbers saved to her phone – in one text message, he described himself as her “husband”.

Following his arrest, officers found that the 37-year-old had been speaking to the victim on platforms including Snapchat and WhatsApp, around four and a half months before meeting.

A total of 330 messages between the McMurtrie and the victim, phone calls, and photos of the victim, including one of her in a school uniform, were discovered.

The pair had conversations about her age, and he was aware she was under the age of 16.

The schoolgirl’s DNA was found on a fleece blanket owned by McMurtrie. DNA evidence also linked McMurtrie to the victim’s vest, and her phone contained messages that confirmed her location, who she was with, and photographs of them together.

He had previously pleaded not guilty to the offences; however, the 37-year-old stood on Monday, January 5 and was found guilty on Friday, January 16, by a jury.

In a statement read out to the court, the victim said: “I understand that Santiago McMurtrie will hear this statement being read out. I was a naïve and very young …girl.

“I want him to know that what he has done has had a massive impact on me emotionally, physically, and mentally. No matter what he has done to me, I will not let it ruin my life, and I know that he will get what he deserves.”

McMurtrie appeared via video link from King’s Lynn in Norwich Crown Court where he was sentenced for 11 counts of sexual activity with a child.

McMurtrie was sentenced to eight years in prison, with an additional one year to be served on licence. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order not to contact the victim.