George Reid

George Reid, a 61-year-old biochemist from Dundee, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for a series of child sex offences committed between February and June 2024. Previously convicted for similar crimes nearly 30 years ago, Reid attempted to meet a child after exchanging lewd messages with undercover police officers posing as 12-year-old girls on various messaging platforms.

The offences came to light when Reid used apps including ChatIW, Teleguard, Telegram, and Snapchat to communicate with a profile named 'Olivia Watson', who claimed to be 12 years old. In May 2024, Reid initially described his work with 'computers and stuff' before the conversation turned sexual. He sent an indecent image of himself and made explicit comments such as, 'I kept thinking about what’s under your panties.' Reid attempted to solicit an image from the profile but blocked it after growing suspicious. However, he soon contacted another decoy profile, admitting, 'I should tell you I sometimes fancy girls your age. I would understand if you thought that was yucky. I don’t think it’s bad at all it’s just how I am.'

Authorities raided Reid's former home on Windsor Street in Dundee in June 2024, where they discovered 41 child abuse files on his heavily encrypted devices, including 19 Category A images hidden in sub-folders of Telegram data. Reid, who claimed ignorance of the device passwords, provided 'no comment' answers during police interviews. He pleaded guilty to four charges of engaging in sexual conversations with what he believed were children, sending an indecent image, and downloading child abuse material.

At Dundee Sheriff Court, Reid appeared via video link from HMP Perth. His solicitor, Jim Caird, acknowledged the 'abhorrent nature' of the behaviour, noting Reid's intelligence and successful career in science, where he contributed to vaccines for HIV, cancer, and cystic fibrosis, earning £78,000 annually as director of biology at Tay Therapeutics Ltd, a University of Dundee spin-out. Caird requested a community-based sentence for 'intervention', but Sheriff Alastair Carmichael rejected this, stating, 'Why would a non-custodial sentence be worth it now? He has continued to offend in the same ways over many years.' The sheriff highlighted Reid's prior fine in Germany in 2008 for possessing indecent images and ruled him a 'significant risk' to others.

Reid was sentenced to 30 months' imprisonment and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years. Despite his professional achievements, with papers recognised worldwide, this conviction marks a significant fall from grace for the shamed scientist.