WILLIAM WILSON CAUGHT IN KIRKNEWTON ONLINE PREDATION SCHEME INVOLVING WEST LOTHIAN GROUP

In August 2023, William Wilson, a 51-year-old resident of Kirknewton in West Lothian, found himself at the center of a disturbing online investigation that exposed his attempts to engage in sexual communication with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. The incident unfolded when Wilson, under the pseudonym “Amapedo,” initiated contact with a decoy profile on the Meet24 website, which was actually operated by a paedophile hunting group based in West Lothian.

According to court proceedings, Wilson’s online activity began shortly after he created the fake profile, which featured a picture of a young white girl estimated to be between 12 and 14 years old. The profile was clearly of someone under the age of 18, and it was set up around March 20, 2022. Within hours of establishing the account, Wilson contacted the decoy, expressing interest with the message “I like you,” and quickly escalated the conversation with explicit and inappropriate messages.

The decoy, posing as a girl named Sophie from Birmingham, responded to Wilson, claiming she was 14 years old. Wilson then sent her a series of sexually explicit messages, including requests for photographs of her in a school uniform and, shockingly, asking if she had any pictures with her legs open. When Sophie claimed she did not have such pictures, Wilson inquired whether she had a younger sister and if she would be willing to send images of her.

Wilson attempted to shift the conversation to WhatsApp by providing a phone number, but instead of continuing there, he made a phone call to the decoy, who then received text messages from him. Over the following days, Wilson continued his predatory behavior, creating additional profiles, including one under the username Grampa70, which also sent explicit messages. The decoy asked for confirmation that the profiles belonged to the same individual, which Wilson confirmed by sharing the last four digits of his phone number. During these exchanges, Wilson explicitly expressed a sexual interest in young girls, even asking if she could send pictures of her seven-year-old sister, citing a “big thing for young girls.”

These disturbing chat logs and evidence, including Wilson’s home address, were handed over to the West Lothian Wolfpack paedophile hunting group. Later that evening, around 7:30 pm, three members of the group—comprising one woman and two men—arrived at Wilson’s residence in Kirknewton. The woman streamed his reaction live on Facebook, capturing the moment when Wilson was confronted about his online activities. Upon being informed that the group was there because of his online conduct, Wilson responded with a resigned “Aye, aye” and invited them inside.

Police were called to the scene, and officers collected screenshots of the messages and images Wilson had sent. They also viewed the live video stream, which showed Wilson sitting in his living room, admitting to communicating indecently with what he believed was a 14-year-old girl. During the police interview, Wilson was cautioned and charged. He responded with a remorseful statement, saying, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say,” and later added, “Yes, I done it. I put my hands in the air.”

At Livingston Sheriff Court, Sheriff Susan Craig ordered a background report before sentencing. She warned Wilson that he could face a custodial sentence and informed him that his name would be added to the sex offenders’ register. Wilson was also told that he would be notified of the length of time he would be subject to sex offender notification requirements when he returns for sentencing scheduled for September 14.