Paedophile targeted by vigilante group spared prison term by sheriff

An Angus paedophile who was exposed by internet vigilantes sent sick messages and photos to “schoolchildren” because he missed his girlfriend, a court has heard.

William Rennie avoided a jail sentence after he was targeted by Wolf Pack Hunters UK, a Facebookbased paedophile hunting group.

An angry mob descended on his Forfar home in 2018 as part of a sting operation broadcast live on social media.

The gathering triggered a major police response, leading to the arrest of several group members.

But Rennie, 30, of Old Halkerton Road, missed the drama because he was at the Special Olympics.

The former retail worker appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted sending a series of messages and images to what he believed were four girls aged between 12 and 15.

But they were actually adult Wolf Pack members who kept a log of his messages and handed them over to police.

The court heard Rennie began using dating apps after the relationship with his girlfriend collapsed.

Solicitor Pauline Cullerton said: “At the time of these offences, Mr Rennie was in a bad place.

“After the relationship ended, he was feeling angry, upset and was drinking to excess.

“He then moved on to using dating apps.”

Ms Cullerton said: “He began using these apps every day.

“When he started speaking to people on the apps, the initial chat was harmless but it did develop into the nature of what he has pled guilty to.”

Rennie spent weeks chatting to the decoys, trying to persuade them to send him explicit images. In return, he sent them obscene photos.

Ms Cullerton said: “He initially thought the females were over 18. However, he did persist in speaking to them after he was informed they were under the age of consent.

“He expresses regret for his choice to continue doing this. He missed his girlfriend.”

The court heard he no longer had access to a mobile phone.

Sentencing him to 240 hours of unpaid work, Sheriff Gillian Wade told him: “I am persuaded that the appropriate disposal is a community payback order of some length so that you can address your offending behaviour.”

Rennie was also placed on supervision for three years and must take part in the Moving Forward: Making Changes programme for sex offenders.

Sheriff Wade said the sentence was a direct alternative to custody.

Rennie will stay on the sex offenders register for three years.

Police were called when the Glasgow-based Wolf Pack gang flocked to Forfar on August 15.

Leader Gordon Buchan and his son Jay were among six people who were arrested.

Buchan later appeared in the dock at Forfar Sheriff Court.

He was banned from taking part in vigilante activities for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

In June, another member of the group appeared in court and derided his former gangmates as “a bunch of thugs”.

Disillusioned Marcin Kuciak said he put his paedophile hunting days behind him after the chaotic scenes outside Rennie’s home.

CORNERED: William Rennie, above, had his house in Old Halkerton Road, Forfar, surrounded by a vigilante gang, inset.