NAIRN MAN SENT SEXUAL MESSAGES TO OFFICER POSING AS YOUNG TEEN GIRL
A Nairn man sent sexual messages to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl online.Iain Sharp pretended to be an 18-year-old called Jamie in an online chat room and messaging app.He asked the ‘child’ about her intimate areas and encouraged her to view him doing a sexual act.Sharp, 65, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a charge of attempting to communicate indecently with a child.The charge detailed how, on Halloween of 2024, he sent sexual written communications to an undercover officer posing as a child named Kaylee in which he questioned her about intimate areas of her body and encouraged her to view him doing a sexual act.Undercover officer posed as young teenFiscal depute Victoria Silver told the court that the officer had created a profile using the name Kaylee and purporting to be a 13-year-old girl.On 31 October, she had received a message in an online chatroom from a profile under the name of Jamie B, which claimed to be an 18-year-old male – but was in fact Sharp.He “very quickly” sent sexual messages, Ms Silver said.The court heard that some of the communication took place over an encrypted app designed for “people who want absolute privacy”.The IP address was traced to Sharp’s then home in Sutors View, Nairn, where police later executed a warrant.Sharp and his wife were told about the nature of the enquiry and asked if they had any knowledge of the matter described in the warrant, at which point Sharp replied: “Aye, it was me.I was stupid.”Sheriff Sara Matheson called for presentencing reports on first offender Sharp, now of Allan Gardens, Dornoch, but placed him on the sex offenders register with immediate effect.The case will call for sentencing next month, when his defence solicitor will have an opportunity to make comments in mitigation on his client’s behalf.
