Still messaging...on Xmas Day

DEREK MACKAY took time out on Christmas Day to message the schoolboy he was accused of ‘grooming’ online.

Mackay messaged the boy on the afternoon of Christmas Day and again in the evening, concluding their brief chat with the compliment: ‘Nice new haircut btw.’

He returned to the subject on December 27 after discussing family get-togethers.

‘You are looking good with that new haircut,’ said the minister.

‘Thanks,’ replied the boy. ‘Needed a change, long hair was getting annoying…’

‘Cute,’ Mackay added. ‘You don’t mind compliments.’ ‘Not at all,’ the boy said. ‘Good. And our chats are between us?’ ‘Yeahh.’ ‘Cool, to be honest I think you are really cute. Is that ok? Just as long as you know, but you can delete that message lol.’

The boy told the Scottish Sun: ‘I was grossed out. He had never complimented me about how I looked before.

‘If it had been a joke with a laughing emoji or something that would have been different, but this seemed serious.

‘That was when I decided to tell my mum. I was nervous about telling her because I felt stupid about it. I didn’t want her to be disappointed because she had warned me about the dangers of social media, but I still fell for it.

‘When he mentioned about my hair I thought it was weird because I didn’t expect it from him.

‘Then when he told me I was cute I thought that’s even worse, that’s unacceptable. It was just too weird for me and not right.’

He added: ‘He asked if the conversations were between us. It seemed like he didn’t want me to tell anyone about it. He didn’t want anybody finding out.

‘That was the point when I thought he was definitely trying something.’