A pervert who asked what he believed was an underage girl if she would meet him for sex has avoided being sent to jail.
Aaron McIntyre was caught in August 2020 while messaging a fake Facebook account created by an adult member of a paedophile hunter group.
He was seen to repeatedly ask the ‘girl’ – who he believed was just 15 – to engage in sexual activity and send him pictures of herself.
The 39-year-old also quizzed the ‘child’ about whether she liked to sleep in “silk pyjamas or naked”.
However, in a court-ordered social work report, McIntyre claimed he would not actually have met the child, downplaying it as just “flirting banter”.
McIntyre previously admitted repeatedly messaging what he believed to be a child and of sending sexually explicit remarks, alongside attempting to induce the girl into meeting him and to send indecent images.
Defence agent Neil McRobert said the report detailed his client’s background and personal circumstances.
Sheriff Donald Ferguson said: “There’s quite a bit of denial here.
‘Ridiculous comments’
“He says he was never going to meet the ‘girl’, but was there a willingness to do that if the opportunity arose? Who knows?
“It certainly looked and sounded that way from the pretty unpleasant narrative that was given.
“That’s the most concerning thing about the whole matter, what he might then go on to do.”
Addressing McIntyre, of Balnagask Avenue, Aberdeen, directly, the sheriff went on: “There are considerable concerns about your conduct and despite your protestations that it was flirting banter and all those ridiculous comments, this is a serious matter.
“It does raise concerns what else you might be prepared to get up to.
“Taking all of this report into account, I have decided the best course of action is to help you to address this behaviour.”
He ordered McIntyre to be supervised for three years, carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, and complete the Moving Forward, Making Changes programme.
The sheriff also made him subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for three years.
‘What are you wearing now?’
Fiscal Depute Victoria Kerr previously told the court: “On August 4 2020 a friend request was received from a male, the accused, to the account posing as Kasey-Anne.
“The creator accepted the friend request and immediately received a message from the accused.
“He replied to this message again posing as a 15-year-old girl and further conversation took place.
“The accused then sent messages to Kasey-Anne making reference to how she preferred to sleep – asking ‘do you like silk pyjamas, or cotton or do you prefer to sleep naked?’
“He then further asked ‘what are you wearing now? Pyjamas, underwear or nothing at all?’”
‘I shouldn’t be thinking what I am’
Ms Kerr said McIntyre had then went on to encourage the 15-year-old to meet up with him, stating that “it would just be between us”.
The court also heard how McIntyre described graphic sexual fantasies he wanted to carry out with the girl across repeated massages to the Facebook account.
He also asked the girl whether she would sleep with him despite the clear age difference between them.
Ms Kerr said: “He asked if she was free during the day and if they could meet up.
“As the conversation developed the accused sent further sexualised messages, stating ‘you’re so hot’, ‘you’re turning me on’ and ‘I shouldn’t be thinking what I am’.