The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Angus man was caught by ‘creep catcher’ vigilante group.
COURT: 37-year-old on community payback order faces jail after contacting decoy set up by Creep Catchers
A man who was caught sending sexual comments to a girl he thought was 13 by an online Creep Catchers vigilante group is facing jail.
Ross Ottaway was, at the time, on a community payback order imposed for showing pornography to three children under the age of 12.
He started chatting with a decoy Facebook profile created by online group Creep Catchers UK.
Ottway, who is blind in one eye after being attacked by one of the children involved in his previous offending, added the fake profile – under the name Zoe Warner – almost immediately after it was created by the paedophile hunter group.
The woman behind the profile told Ottaway she was “nearly 13” and he asked for her address so he could send a birthday card.
Depute fiscal Saima Rasheed told Dundee Sheriff Court Ottaway then asked for pictures of her “naked and in her school clothes”.
Ottaway then went on to give the woman his own home address and asked her to send naked pictures of herself to him by post.
The group travelled to Ottaway’s Dundee home to confront him after he claimed his 12-year-old neighbour had sent him images and that he had “shown her how to do it”.
Miss Rasheed said: “He was confronted and was asked to account for his actions. This was filmed using a body mounted Gopro camera and was streamed live on Facebook.
“The police were then informed and provided with details of the accused’s conduct.”
Ottaway, 37, of North Grimsby, Arbroath, pled guilty to sending sexual written communications to someone he believed to be a child aged under 16.
The offence took place between July 8 and 30 last year at an address on Kirk Street, Dundee.
Defence solicitor Anika Jethwa said: “He suffers from a learning disability.
“He was placed on an order in 2015 for the earlier conviction but that was breached in 2017 as a result of this new offence.
“At the time he was living with his mother and after this they were targeted by various individuals.
“His mother had lived there for 22 years and had to leave that property and was homeless for 13 years.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentence on Ottaway for social work background reports and released him on bail meantime.
Ottaway was also placed on the sex offenders register.
“Ottaway then asked for pictures of her naked and in her school clothes