The Irish Times of Dublin carries this story: DUP MP ex-aide held over toilet camera.
Toilet camera? Yes, dear reader, that’s what the headline says. For those who don’t know, “DUP” is the Democratic Unionist Party. Wikipedia says it’s “currently the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly and the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom.” Here are some excerpts, with bold font added by us:
A former senior DUP aide, prominent creationist and preacher with the Free Presbyterian church has been arrested on suspicion of voyeurism, it has emerged.
Prominent creationist? BWAHAHAHAHAHA! We love this story! It continues:
David McConaghie (47) was employed as a chief advisor to Upper Bann MP David Simpson but has recently resigned from that post. He was arrested last month as part of an investigation into a hidden recording device, believed to be a camera, which was found in the toilets of Mr Simpson’s constituency office in Portadown, Co Armagh.
Nasty business! Let’s read on:
A former Pentecostal preacher with the Elim church and member of the Independent Orange Order, Mr McConaghie has also trained as a preacher with the Free Prebysterian church. He has worked as a press officer for the latter, as well as acting as the media officer for the Caleb Foundation, an evangelical group which lobbies on a range of issues, including opposition to the recently opened Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast and gay marriage.
Caleb Foundation? We’ve run into them before (see Government Creationism in Northern Ireland). This gets better and better. We continue:
Mr McConaghie has also been a leading member of the creationist movement in the North, and has met with senior personnel from education bodies in an attempt to have a creationist viewpoint included in the Northern Ireland curriculum.
BWAHAHAHAHAHA! That must be what attracted him to the loo. Here’s more:
The Caleb Foundation was instrumental in persuading the National Trust to include a “younger Earth” explanation of the origins of the Giant’s Causeway at its flagship, new visitor centre.
Right, that’s how we remember it. Isn’t it wonderful how it all comes together here! This is the last of it:
Mr Simpson told the Belfast Telegraph that Mr McConaghie “no longer holds any office in the DUP”. Mr McConaghie was not available for comment but his solicitor said he had not been charged with any crime.
McConaghie may be a messed-up fellow, but he’s definitely a great creationist!
See also: Essential Creationist Gear: Toilet Camera.
See also: Cracking the Creationist Toilet Camera Case.
Copyright © 2012. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.
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The Sensuous Curmudgeon 
Probably forgot to wipe…his fingerprints..
I’ve always wondered what constituted creationist “research” and “discovery”; I guess this is it!
SC: “McConaghie may be a messed-up fellow, but he’s definitely a great creationist!”
I say, aren’t they all a bit off, really?
retiredsciguy says: “I say, aren’t they all a bit off, really?”
Yes, but you have to admire his willingness to probe deeply into the mysteries of life.
I think McConaghie is entitled to the benefit of the doubt on this one.
In all probability, he was simply arming himself, should he ever be questioned about whether or not his colleagues micturated, he could confidently assert in the affirmative, not only that they do, but could also answer affirmatively to the standard Creationist rejoinder, “But were you there?”
Megalonyx says: “I think McConaghie is entitled to the benefit of the doubt on this one.”
Yes. Who are we to question his creationist ways? He probably thinks that because Adam & Eve didn’t conceal themselves in a bathroom, neither should we.
You think he was doing some spying for the Murdochs?
This smells familiar.
I guess we will have to wait for the cops to flush out
this guy’s reason for the cam.
I would like to take this opportunity to distance myself from this foundation that happens to share my name… an embarrassment to Calebs everywhere.
Okay, I’m going to ask: Where was the camera? Think about it. Most hidden cameras are installed in vents, which are high up. A vent directly over a stall would not yield anything, since the toilet is also up against the wall and you wouldn’t be able to angle it down enough. He could install it in the ceiling and drill a pinhole for the lens. But that only gives you a shot similar to Psy in the Gangnam Style video (look at about 3:10 into the video). Unless you’re really skilled, you can’t install a camera in the walls of the stall itself (unless he installed it in one of the corner stalls). But, even then, you don’t see much. That’s why you tend to find these things (hidden peeping Tom cams) in bedrooms and showers.
In summary, not only was he a lousy Christian (for more reasons than just the fact that he put a video camera in a bathroom stall), but he’s a lousy peeping Tom to boot.
I found this on wikipedia under the heading “Caleb”. The Hebrew spelling of the name Caleb – כלב – is identical with the spelling of the word “dog” – “celev”.
@Gary: If he were going to go to that much trouble for his obsession, he should have just become a gynecologist.
“Toilets” in the UK means restroom, not necessarily a stall. So it may not have been as disgusting as it sounds to Americans. Still pretty bad–maybe he was thinking he’d catch a politician in some uninhibited conversation? Who cares, it’s a delicious anecdote anyway.
Garnetstar: ““Toilets” in the UK means restroom, not necessarily a stall.”
It can (and does) mean the same thing in the US. But why would you put a video camera in a room in which you want to simply collect audio? With the normal acoustics of your average loo, you could place the microphone anywhere and pick up every conversation. But he installed a video camera. For that, he (as RSG pointed out) would probably want to get the privates of the visitors to said facility. Which says to me that he had to be looking in the stalls.
I made an assumption when I said “gynecologist”, thinking that he installed the camera in the ladies’ room. He may be more interested in men, which would be a less challenging photo shoot.
@Troy: Yes, I know. It’s also generally affiliated with loyalty. It’s a biblical name, and the story behind it is interesting, if fictional.