ARBROATH MAN PRETENDED TO BE A TEEN TO GROOM SCHOOLGIRL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
An unwitting Arbroath sex offender pretended to police he was a teenager in the south of England in an attempt to groom a fake schoolgirl.Benjamin Irving was caught sending explicit messages to what he thought was a schoolgirl, Forfar Sheriff Court heard.
Less than two months later, police arrived at his home to seize his devices.
On Chat Avenue, Irving, 30, claimed he was 19 and living on the outskirts of London, before sending twisted instructions on SnapChat to what was actually an undercover officer.
Irving is now on the sex offenders register and awaiting sentence.
Prosecutor Alan Bell said Irving went by the online persona GymGuyUK to groom what he thought was a schoolgirl called Sophie.
In fact, he was sending smut to an undercover police officer.
He told the decoy his sister was also named Sophie.
“You’re really hot by the way, I’d pick you up from school,” he messaged.
Mr Bell said police raided Irving’s home in Arbroath, at 7.45am on December 9 and five phones and three tablets were taken for analysis.
Irving pled guilty to attempting to communicate indecently with a child and sending messages for sexual gratification, or to humiliate, distress or alarm the recipient, who he believed was aged between 13 and 16.
