THOMAS FARRAR CAUGHT IN DUNBAR ONLINE PREDATOR SCAM

In November 2014, Thomas Farrar, a 58-year-old man from Dunbar, was apprehended by police after engaging in inappropriate online communications with what he believed was a 13-year-old girl named Sophie. Unbeknownst to Farrar, the girl he was chatting with was actually an undercover police officer operating a fake profile to catch online predators.

Farrar had logged onto the popular chat platform Lycos under the username Mad-Cheffy. During their conversations, he made highly inappropriate and vile comments directed at the supposed young girl. He expressed a desire to teach her how to make love properly, revealing his disturbing intentions. The chat sessions alternated between Lycos and Skype, during which Farrar asked the girl if she would be willing to meet him at a hotel near her home in Cumbria, indicating a clear intent to pursue a physical meeting.

Law enforcement officials tracked Farrar’s online activity by logging his computer IP address. Following this, police executed a raid on his residence in East Lothian. The investigation culminated in Farrar’s appearance at Haddington Sheriff Court, where he pleaded guilty to the charge of intentionally sending sexual communications to an undercover police officer. The court heard that the exchanges took place between November 13 and November 20 of the previous year, during which Farrar believed he was communicating with a child aged between 13 and 16.

In response to his guilty plea, the court imposed several penalties. Farrar was ordered to be placed on the sex offenders’ register for the next three years and was also banned from owning any computer equipment. His solicitor, Matthew Patrick, suggested that Farrar might not have been targeting children specifically but had lost touch with reality during his online interactions. Mr. Patrick described Farrar as a “sad and lonely individual who has been living an online life” and stated that his client was willing to accept restrictions on his internet access.

Sheriff Peter Braid addressed the court, condemning Farrar’s comments as vile. He remarked that if Farrar had been speaking to a real 13-year-old girl rather than an undercover officer, he would likely have faced a custodial sentence. However, the sheriff decided that an alternative to imprisonment was appropriate in this case. As part of his sentence, Farrar was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid community service.

It was also revealed that Farrar’s Lycos profile remains active, with data indicating that 452 females and only 34 males have visited his page, highlighting the extent of his online activity and the potential reach of his profile.