The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
No jail for paedophile ensnared by vigilante group posing as teens
An Aberdeenshire man who chatted with what he believed were five underage girls has been added to the sex offenders register.
Michael Burr was caught out by vigilante paedophile hunters who posed as young teenagers on fake Facebook accounts.
The 57-year-old sent them indecent images of himself, asked the “young girls” to share pictures of their bodies and to keep their conversations a “secret”.
But after the vigilantes confronted Burr at his home, he ended up in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court in September this year.
Burr, who was previously married with children, admitted communicating with decoys that were created to snare sex offenders.
Depute fiscal Carol Gammie told the court that Burr sexually communicated with the fake profiles from an address in Inverurie, between September 5-23, last year.
She said that photographs used on the accounts were “clearly” of girls aged under 16.
On September 5 last year, Burr approached a decoy called “Cassie”, who identified herself as 13, and he immediately asked: “You are a young girl – do you want to chat to an old man?”
Then he asked the girl to send naked pictures of her body and sent her an image of his private parts.
On September 10, Burr started chatting with a second 14-year-old decoy called “Penny Louise”.
He also asked her for pictures, saying: “Would you like to share your body?”
He then forwarded an image of his own private parts. Four days later, Burr started a conversation with a third decoy called “Sky” and stated: “Do you like chatting to older men?”
On September 16, Burr messaged a fourth girl called “Bethany”, whom he thought was 14, and asked: “Would you join me in the shower? You could wash me and I could wash you?”
Then he asked for a naked photo and sent her an indecent one of himself.
Between September 1523, Burr chatted to a fifth girl called “Stacey”.
He told the 14-year-old “I like to look at girls” and that he would like to see pictures of her in the shower and the bath.
Once again, Burr sent an image of his private parts.
On September 27 2022, the paedophile hunter group confronted Burr at his home and contacted the police.
During previous court proceedings, Burr pled guilty to five charges of sending sexual communications to what he believed to be girls under the age of 16 for sexual gratification.
As an alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff McLaughlin ordered Burr to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work as part of a three-year community payback order with supervision.
She also ordered Burr, of Lumphanan, to participate in a sex offenders treatment programme and placed him on the sex offenders register for three years.