RYAN MAGEE FROM PRESTONPANS CAUGHT IN ONLINE CHILD SEX PREDATOR STING AT EDINBURGH COURT

A man from Prestonpans, identified as Ryan Magee, has been taken into custody after attempting to engage in sexual communication with an individual he believed to be a minor. The incident unfolded when Magee used the Snapchat application to contact a profile he created under the alias Liv, with the apparent intent of pursuing sexual conversations.

Unbeknownst to Magee, the profile he was communicating with was actually operated by an undercover police officer, part of a carefully coordinated sting operation designed to identify and apprehend online predators targeting children. The police traced Magee back to his residence on North Grange Road in Prestonpans, which ultimately led to his arrest.

Following his detention, Magee was brought before Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month, where he entered a guilty plea to a revised charge. The charge specified that he had sent sexual written communications to a person he believed to be a child aged between 13 and 16. The offense was committed on December 13 of the previous year.

During the court proceedings, it was revealed that Magee had a pattern of using Snapchat to seek sexual gratification from women, and despite being aware of the age of the individual he was communicating with, he continued his attempts to engage her in sexual conversation. Magee expressed remorse for his actions during the hearing, apologizing and claiming that he had ended the conversation before any further inappropriate developments occurred.

In terms of sentencing, Magee was ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of six months. Additionally, he was placed under supervision and was prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16 for a similar duration. The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat online child exploitation and protect vulnerable minors from predatory behavior.