Payback order for sex pest
A Paisley creep who was snared using a fake name to send sexual messages to what he thought was an underage girl has been added to the Sex Offenders’ Register.
Steven McGarry used the Skout messenger app, and a profile picture of him in biker gear, to message a woman from the Wolfpack Hunters UK, who was posing as a 12-year-old.
McGarry, 49, messaged her profile and told her he thought she was “a cutie” – prompting her to reply, saying she was “nearly 13.”
Despite having been told she was 36 years younger than him, McGarry continued to message the profile, from his home in Limeview Way, Paisley.
He went on to have sexualised chats with what he thought was the youngster – after she asked him about them being intimate with each other.
McGarry sent a number of messages to the profile over a three-month period, spoke about her “sexy swimsuit” as well as talking about “cuddling and kissing” her and keeping it a secret.
And their seedy chats only came to an end when another user reported her to site admin as she was too young to use the site.
McGar r y previously admitted his guilt and returned to the dock at Paisley Sheriff Court.
He pleaded guilty to repeatedly sending messages “of an indecent and sexual nature” to “an adult who he believed to be a child” between February and May last year.
He was back in the dock at the town’s court yesterday to be sentenced, where his lawyer told the court he knew he had made a mistake.
His defence agent said: “He is very aware of the mistake that he has made.
“He is of a medium to low risk of reoffending and he says he is willing to do whatever it takes.”
The court previously heard how McGarry initially replied to the messages sent from the woman from Wolfpack Hunters UK saying he didn’t realise she was so young and had believed she was older.
But he continued to message the profile and the conversation turned sexual.
McGarry asked her about boyfriends, and if she had a crush on anyone, telling her he could keep secrets, before discussing her losing her virginity to a boy at her school.
The court also heard it was the decoy who first mentioned them being intimate together, asking McGarry what he thought about him being older and her being younger.
He later sent a message asking if she wanted to kiss and cuddle a guy (his) age and keep it a secret.
Sentencing McGar ry yesterday, Sheriff Seith Ireland said: “There is no Scottish guidelines on these types of offences so I had to look at the English guidelines.
“These are matters which are worthy of going to custody but the duty falls on me to decide what is an appropriate sentence.
“You have lived a blameless life for your 49 years other than two minor traffic offences
“This is a case where actually no harm was caused because the decoy was in fact a member of a group and not an actual young person.
Sheriff Ireland placed McGarry under supervision for three years and ordered him to complete 180 hours of unpaid work in nine months.
McGarry was ordered to complete the Moving Forward Making Changes programme within three years and was also banned from accessing the internet or contacting anyone under the age of 17.