No prison for cyber sicko who got girl to take topless snaps
BY DAVID MEIKLE reporters@dailyrecord.co.uk A PREDATOR who persuaded a 14-year-old girl to send him topless photographs before she took an overdose has walked free from court.
Dean Cooper, 21, told the youngster to send him explicit pictures after he sent her a friend request on social media.
He also instructed her to carry out degrading sexual acts despite knowing she was under 16 and sent snaps of himself naked to her.
The girl became so distressed she swallowed 20 paracetamol tablets.
While recovering from her ordeal, she confided in her mother and police were called in to investigate.
Cooper, of Shotts, Lanarkshire, admitted directing sexual messages at the girl and inducing her to send indecent images of herself between March and June last year.
He has been ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work and be supervised for two years at Hamilton Sheriff Court. He will also be kept on the sex offenders’ register for two years.
Fiscal depute Neil Thomson said: “The child received a friend request from the accused and this continued into communication on various types of social media.
“The accused started sending sexual messages and asked the complainer to send indecent images of herself. She sent him 10 topless photos.
“The matter came to light when she took an overdose. She confided in her mother and the matter was reported to police.
“The accused’s home was searched and his mother asked him if he knew what age the girl was and he replied: ‘Yes I did. I knew she was only 14.’”
Alan Murray, defending, said only a small proportion of the 370 messages exchanged between the pair were sexual in nature.
Sheriff David Bicket told Cooper the work order was a “direct alternative to custody”, adding: “If you breach the order, you could be sent to prison.”