Man sent sexually explicit images to ‘teen girl’

A Fife man is facing prison after sending sexually explicit messages to someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

She was actually an online decoy working for a predator hunting group.

David Anderson, 33, of Earn Road, Kirkcaldy, appeared before Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court where he admitted coercing a person he believed was a teenager called Grace Young into looking at a sexual image and communicating indecently with her between December 7 and 14.

However, in reality, the “teenager” was an adult with the Forbidden Scotland online child protection team, set up to expose internet sex abuse.

The court heard how the group member began communicating with Anderson in a virtual chat room, with the decoy telling Anderson: “Hi, I’m Grace, 13, from Scotland.”

Anderson replied: “Hey darling, I’m in Scotland too.”

Depute fiscal Claire Bremner then read out a series of online conversations between the pair which led to Anderson asking “Grace” to send pictures of herself – “not nude ones” – before asking her not to tell her mother about the exchange.

The messages then stopped abruptly before the dialogue continued on another chat site and Anderson’s tone became more sinister.

Ms Bremner said Anderson went on to say to “Grace”: “If you show or tell anyone I will get in a lot of trouble baby.”

Members of the Forbidden Scotland group went on to confront Anderson at his workplace on December 14 – in an incident which was streamed live on Facebook – and police were contacted.

Anderson’s solicitor Scott McKenzie said his client had been “deeply embarrassed and ashamed” by the content of the messages.

He noted the chat sites in question were for people aged 18 or over, although he did concede that his client was aware he was chatting to someone he thought was 13.

Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist deferred sentence on Anderson for the preparation of background reports and bail was continued meantime.