Andrew Miller: transgender butcher pleads guilty to abducting and sexually assaulting schoolgirl over 27 hours

A transgender butcher has admitted abducting a primary school aged girl before sexually assaulting her repeatedly over 27 hours.

Andrew Miller, who is in the process of transitioning to female and is also known as Amy George, pleaded guilty to four charges - abduction, sexual assault, watching pornography in the presence of the child, and possessing 242 indecent images of children.

At the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday (18 May), Lord Arthurson told the 53-year-old the offences represented “abhorrent crimes” of the utmost “deviance and depravity” and were “the realisation of every parent’s worst nightmare”.

Prosecuting, advocate depute Lorraine Glancy KC told the court how in February this year the defendant had offered the girl a lift home because she “looked freezing”. The victim was instead taken to Miller's home in the Scottish Borders, where she was subjected to repeated sexual assaults over the next 27 hours.

For the time the child was confined at the property, Miller was dressed as a woman, wearing a bra and women’s underwear. The victim was forced to watch pornography. The following evening, Miller fell asleep in the bed next to the child. She tipped over a glass of water in an attempt to wake the defendant, but this did not work.

Following this, the child turned on the bedroom light and Miller still did not wake. She then attempted to escape from the property, but found the door was locked. She found the landline phone and called police, saying she had been touched inappropriately, the court heard.

Police attended the property and arrested Miller, and the child was taken to a nearby hospital to be medically examined. During interview, Miller told detectives the girl had not been abducted and that it was “all a mistake”. The defendant claimed they stopped to offer her a lift because “she was freezing”.

Miller claims he put the girl in their bed because “it was a motherly thing”, but admitted they should have called police. The defendant admitted they should “never have gotten into this situation” during the interview, which lasted six hours.

Following the arrest, three laptops were seized from the property and a total of 242 indecent images of children were found, most of which were of the lowest category. Miller's internet history was also accessed, showing searches for indecent images.

The court heard that Miller is in the process of transitioning to female. Miller, who appeared by videolink from HMP Edinburgh, was remanded in custody and will appear for sentencing on 15 August.

A version of this story originally appeared on our sister website The Scotsman.