Web chat led to court visit

Nineteen year-old gets detention

A teenager who met an underage girl to whom he had sent inappropriate messages has been hit with a lengthy term of detention.

Stirling Sheriff Court heard last Wednesday that Jordan Dunn repeatedly kissed and touched the 14-year-old at Plean Country Park.

The 19-year-old had travelled to Stirling from his home in Bonnyton Road, Dundee, in April of last year.

Dunn had previously issued guilty pleas to sending written communications of a sexual nature to the girl between December 1, 2015, and May 1, 2016, and engaging in sexual activity by repeatedly kissing and touching the girl over her clothes at Plean Country Park between April 23 and 24 last year.

The court heard that the pair had become involved in a relationship after striking up conversation on social media.

“The complainer began to talk with the accused on an online messaging service,” said fiscal depute Adrian Fraser.

“At that point the complainer and the accused entered into a relationship.

“They were messaging regularly and contacting each other by phone.”

Some of the messages contained sexual material, with Dunn sending a picture of his private parts to the girl. In April of last year, he got the train down to Stirling where he met the girl. They then travelled to Plean Country Park with a group of her friends and consumed alcohol.

Mr Fraser continued: “At some point in the evening the accused and the complainer left the group and went to a secluded area of the park.”

Later in the evening, Dunn admitted to a witness there had been sexual contact between them. Police were contacted after the relationship broke up when the girl told her mother she had been involved with Dunn.

Defending, Chris Fyffe said that his client had thought that the girl was 16 and hadn’t had sexual intercourse. “Although his behaviour is illegal, it shouldn’t be seen as deviant,” he said.

Sheriff Wyllie Robertson said Dunn had been admonished for a previous analogous conviction, and a pre-sentence report deemed him of between a medium and high risk of re-offending.

“On the basis of these offences and your record, and I am satisfied that no sentence other than detention is appropriate,” he said.

Dunn was sentenced to a 44 -month detention order, and will serve at least eight months in custody.

He will also be subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for an indefinite period.