AYR MAN JAILED FOR CHILD SEXUAL MESSAGES AFTER ONLINE STING
A REPEAT offender caught preying on what he thought was a 12-year-old girl and encouraging them to perform sex acts has been locked up.Paul Matthews was jailed after denying his sexual interest in children - having previously pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate indecently with a child from his address at Arran Drive in Auchinleck.
The 54-year-old admitted to contacting, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming, what he believed to be a child aged under 13 between January 25 and February 22, 2025.
The ‘girl’ he believed to be called ‘DMC’, aged 12, was in fact an adult named in the Crown’s indictment, pretending to be the child.
He sent a series of messages on social media that were indecent, including instructing her to remove clothing and carry out sexual acts on herself.
Matthews pleaded guilty when he appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court in August – after he was caught in a sting involving the Scotland’s Child Protection Team online group.
The court heard he then instructed her to perform sexual acts on herself, telling the decoy to ‘rub it’.
Matthews, now of HMP Glenochil, returned to Ayr Sheriff Court from custody on Tuesday, September 30.
The Procurator Fiscal depute said: 'The accused resided in temporary accommodation in Arran Drive, Auchinleck, where he carried out the indecent communication with the Scottish Child Protection team.
The group searches online for individuals and then reports them to police.
With the decoy, he had a picture of himself and he made a friend request.
The decoy’s ID stated they were 12 and said their mum said they ‘have to be 16 to vape but nearly 13’.
When they stated 12-years-old he said he ‘would get in trouble for talking to you here’.
The accused contacted her stating he would like to carry on from last night, asking ‘What are you wearing?’, ‘Take your bottoms off' and ‘is your bottom half naked?’ He then instructed her to perform sexual acts on herself, telling the decoy to ‘rub it’.
Th prosecutor continued: 'The group traced the accused.
He was later arrested and notified that he was officially an accused person.
He admitted to speaking to a 13-year-old.
He was conveyed to Kilmarnock police office and made no comment, except when the group was at his home and asked about making admissions.
He said: ‘I was scared and my anxiety was going through the roof’ and ‘I got her to play with herself’.' The court heard he then received a 22-month sentence, reduced from 33 months after pleading guilty at an early stage, with six months under social work supervision after his release.
He will remain on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
