Pervert escapes prison sentence

Play park ban and internet monitored

A sleazy boys’ football coach pretended to be just 12 and used Instagram to contact a 10-yearold boy in Australia - and then attempted to have a sexually explicit chat with him.

But the youngster, from Adelaide, thought 29-year-old Nicholas Henderson, of Brandywell Road, Abernethy, was “weird” and he became scared and told his mum.

She then took a screenshot of the vile comments and contacted police.

Perth Sheriff Court was told that since getting the messages the boy had “felt scared to talk to new friends” and had also suffered from nightmares.

Pervert Henderson, who was a coach at Scone Thistle at the time, escaped a jail term when he appeared for sentence yesterday.

But strict conditions have been imposed restricting him from having contact with youngsters under 18.

He has been banned from all parks and play areas, where it is believed such children would be present, without the permission of his supervising officer.

And he can’t take up any paid or voluntary work without that person’s consent. His use of the internet will also be closely monitored.

Sheriff William Wood told Henderson it appeared he had embarked on a course of conduct “without thought and the effect it would have on a child on the other side of the world.”

His actions took it “beyond the custodial threshold.”

But the sheriff noted he was a first offender and appeared to have shown “genuine remorse.”

As a result, a Community Payback Order was imposed which will involve Henderson completing 180 hours of unpaid work within six months.

He will also be supervised by a social worker for three years and will have to take part in a “Moving Forward, Making Changes” programme run by the social work department.

His name will remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years.

Henderson, who was said to be moving to Dundee in the next couple of days, admitted that on November 16, 2016, at his home, he pretended to be a 12-year-old boy for the purpose of sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming the 10-year-old.

The charge indicated that the accused sent the young boy a message of a sexual nature and attempted to engage him in a sexual conversation.

The court heard that a picture of a man with dark hair and wearing a blue T-shirt had appeared when the Instagram was used.

Despite that, depute fiscal Carol Whyte said that the accused claimed he was aged 12 - and that the Instagram account he was using belonged to his uncle.

Referring to the vile comments made by Henderson Ms Whyte added: “[They] caused the complainer to feel scared and nervous and he described his stomach as going quite funny, with butterflies in his belly.

“At this point the he told his mother who took his mobile phone from him and screenshot the messages.”

She then contacted the accused, telling him: “Don’t worry about deleting the messages, Nick.

“You have been talking to his mum and I’ve screenshot everything, f***ing pedo.”

The police in Adelaide were contacted and so was Scone Thistle FC chairman John Cleishman who was “very concerned” at what had happened and quizzed the accused about the allegation.

Henderson later attended at Perth Police HQ on November 19, 2016, and offered to surrender his laptop, mobile phone and IPad, as well as granting them access to any other devices.

The accused, described as single and living with his mother, was a self-employed football coach looking after the Scone team made up of children under 15.

Solicitor Kevin Lancaster said that as a result of the offences, Henderson’s involvement as a football coach had “come to an end.”

The lawyer added: “He’s deeply regretful of the effects on the child involved.”

A first offender, he had been assessed as suitable for a community-based disposal.