BBC project manager caught viewing child abuse images claimed he joined the chatroom to find ‘like-minded gay men’

A National Crime Agency sting has caught a BBC projected manager watching child abuse on a Zoom call.

Duncan Wheelhouse, 58, claimed he joined the chatroom to find “like-minded gay men” and was “surprised” by the images of child abuse being streamed.

However, this attempted defence was rejected by a judge at Kingston Crown Court, who heard Wheelhouse pleasured himself to the images and made comments about the footage, reports the Mirror.

udge John Lodge QC said: “The defendant, rather than indicating ‘why are we watching images of child abuse?’, participates in the online chat room – indicating to people in the chat room he shares such proclivities they might have in respect of those children.”

David Burgess, defending, said: “He has been shunned by his former colleagues, his employers, his friends, and in many ways he remains a lonely gay man.

“It’s unlikely he will work again, certainly in the field which he has been. His future looks gloomy indeed.”

Wheelhouse, who has worked in television for over 40 years and also worked for ITV, was sacked by the BBC after police came to his office to arrest him.

Kingston Crown Court heard the National Crime Agency sting found Wheelhouse by linking the IP address to his rented flat in Soho.

Prosecutor Richard Milne said: “There’s been a National Crime Agency investigation into child abuse in particular by the use of Zoom conferences.

“On the 23 March, 2018, there were three people present. This defendant, in particular, used the username ‘Gperve’.”

Two Category ‘A’ videos and two Category ‘B’ videos were streamed on the chat, including the abuse of a baby and a 12-year-old boy, the Prosecutor made clear.

Wheelhouse made a number of inappropriate comments, including references to the victim’s young ages, and was also seen taking drugs.

He was arrested in May 2018 and his home was searched, but officers did not find evidence of any indecent material on his devices or that he had Zoom installed on his computer.

Wheelhouse was charged om March of this year and he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court last month to admit two counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Mr Burgess said: “This is a man who has worked for the BBC and ITV and other news organisations for more than 40 years, unblemished service and it is nothing short of a tragic fall from grace for him that he should find himself sitting where he does today.

“He was at a pretty low avenue in life. Personal tragedy of the highest order in the last few years. Almost certainly that caused him to drink far in excess and take drugs as can be seen on the video footage involving crack cocaine.

“All sense of judgment seems to have deserted him. He attended chatrooms as a lonely gay man.

“He was taken by surprise when the images that he then voluntarily continued to watch were posted. It was not his design to see such images, he hadn’t done so before and he has never done so again.”

Judge Lodder handed Wheelhouse a jail term of four months suspended for two years and ordered him to carry out 40 days of rehabilitation activity.

Handing out the sentence, Judge Lodder said: “It’s not an image, it’s a child being abused somewhere in the world for the gratification of others.”

Wheelhouse must carry out a course designed at helping sex offenders and has been made subject to a sexual harm prevention order – he also must sign the sex offender’s register for seven years and pay court costs of £615.

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