OAP jailed for sick pics and online messages

A Blantyre pensioner has been jailed for 16 months after he sent sick messages to an undercover police officer posing as a 12-yearold girl.

When serial offender George Patterson was detained, child abuse images were found on his phone.

The 73-year-old retired taxi driver, of Burnside Crescent, appeared from prison by videolink at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

He admitted downloading indecent images and attempting to direct sexual communications at a person he believed to be a child.

It’s his third conviction for having indecent images of children.

Patterson is already serving a 16-month sentence for possessing child porn.

Previously he was given a community payback order for a similar offence.

In the latest case, the court heard Patterson logged on to an internet chat site using the name ‘Hot Crank.’

He sent disgusting messages to a police officer posing as ‘Jess’ over two days last August.

Neil Thomson, prosecuting, said: “‘Jess’ informed him repeatedly that she was only 12 years of age.

“Without prompting, the accused sent her a picture of a young girl posing in a bikini.

“There followed one-way sexual dialogue and at one point Patterson asked if she’d had sex with a boy.”

Later police searched his home and found seven indecent images on his phone.

Paterson was jailed and put on the sex offenders’ register for an indefinite period in December.

He had been caught with 26 indecent images of children and 58 video clips showing sex acts between humans and animals.

The latest offences happened when he was on bail for that case.

Patterson’s solicitor, Gavin Lawson, said the former marine engineer and taxi driver had for many years lived a law-abiding life.

He said: “It would appear that in later years he developed an interest in online porn.

“He accepts that this is damaging for the participants and, obviously, it has had serious ramifications for him. This is his third conviction in seven years for possessing indecent images of children

“The criminal justice social work report stresses the importance of treatment, but while he hoped to be able to engage in communitybased work he realises that won’t be possible.

“But he has pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity and, while indecent images of children are always serious, it was a relatively small number in this case and all were in the least serious category.”

Sheriff Douglas Brown said he had to impose a “significant period of imprisonment”.

Patterson was due to be released from his current sentence on August 18, but the fresh 16-month stretch will start then.