COLIN SWINNEY OF NEWCASTLETON SENTENCED AND REGISTERED AS SEX OFFENDER

A 55-year-old man from Newcastleton has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for a period of five years after attempting to send an indecent video to an undercover police officer who was posing as a boy under 13. Colin Swinney also repeatedly communicated sexually explicit messages to whom he believed was a young child, but in reality, he was speaking with an officer. At Jedburgh Sheriff Court, Swinney received a Community Payback Order that requires 200 hours of unpaid work, six months of supervision, and a nighttime curfew at his residence on North Hermitage Street in the village. The curfew is in effect from 7pm to 7am for the next nine months. Swinney pleaded guilty to charges of causing a person he believed to be under 13—who was actually a police officer—to view a sexual image by sending an indecent video between July 26 and September 9 of the previous year. During the same period and location, he also repeatedly sent sexual messages to the officer pretending to be a young girl, inquiring about her sexual experiences, accusing her of teasing older men, and adding her to a social media forum where sexual material was shared. Sheriff Kathrine Mackie stated that the sentence served as an alternative to custody.