Oban man spared jail for indecent images

A 30-year-old man from Oban has been spared jail after sending indecent images and messages to four underage girls.

Donald McCormick, of 12 The Greens, Glencruitten, was fined £2,000 and given 240 hours of unpaid work.

He is also subject to the notification requirement of the Sexual Offences Act for seven years.

As well as this, McCormick is prohibited from contacting children under the age of 16 without supervision.

And his internet usage will be limited; he will be prohibited from using Snapchat and will need permission for other social media applications.

He is also prohibited from removing any internet search history or browsing incognito. He will also need permission before installing or removing any computer software.

McCormick admitted sending indecent photographs and messages to two girls who were aged 13 and 14 at the time. He also pleaded guilty to sending indecent messages to another two girls, who were also aged 13 and 14 at the time.

The offences took place on various occasions between March 21, 2016, and July 9, 2017. The messages and images were predominantly sent on the social media application Snapchat.

Reading the facts on August 13, procurator fiscal Eoin McGinty told the court the incidents began after the 30-year-old gave one of the girls a lift home.

Following this, he started talking to the teenager in a ‘general nature’, before being blocked after making the girl feel uncomfortable.

McCormick then messaged her on Snapchat and sent inappropriate messages.

He said to another 13-yearold girl: ‘We should meet up. I can pick you up and we can go to Fort William.’

On a different occasion he sent the girl an inappropriate video.

Sentencing McCormick, Sheriff Patrick Hughes said: ‘The offences that you have committed are despicable. They have caused a considerable amount of distress to four young girls.

‘They have embodied the fear that any parent would have, that their child would be preyed upon online.’