A pervert sent vile sexual messages to an undercover cop posing online as a 13-year-old girl – before telling her he’d be in “trouble” if anyone found out.
Andrew Thomson messaged what he believed to be a 13-year-old girl on various apps including Skype and Whatsapp, asking her intimate and sexual questions.
The 60-year-old admitted at one stage “I shouldn’t be chatting to you”, but continued his sickening conduct, telling the “girl” he hoped her mother didn’t know she chatted to “older guys”.
Eventually, Thomson decided to call it quits and told the undercover cop he was going to stop talking to her, adding: “If anyone finds out, I’m the one in trouble because you’re underage.”
Crown narrative
Fiscal depute Janet MacDonald told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the complainer was an “undercover officer” with police in Wales.
She said: “Between October 11 and 24 2019 the accused engaged with the witness in an online chatroom as well as Skype and Whatsapp.
“The complainer was purporting to be a 13-year-old female named Bella.”
Thomson first contacted the undercover officer at 10.27am on October 11 2019, sending her a message in the chatroom saying: “Hiya, wanna chat?”
The “child” immediately identified herself as a 13-year-old girl and Thomson asked if she should be at school.
On October 22 messages were exchanged on Skype, during which Thomson stated he was “too old” and “old enough to be your dad”.
Thomson went on to ask the undercover officer to send pictures on numerous occasions and told her: “I shouldn’t be chatting to you. Too young.”
After being sent an image purporting to be of the girl, Thomson asked who took the photo.
She said it was her mother, to which Thomson replied: “Hope she doesn’t know you chat with older guys.
He went on to ask if she “liked to talk about naughty stuff”.
The conversation then became more sexual, with Thomson asking sexual questions, including about what she was wearing and about her having a bath.
Eventually, Thomson sent the undercover officer a message reading: “I think it’s best if I stop chatting to a 13-year-old. If anyone finds out, I’m the one in trouble because you’re underage.
“I’m going to stop chatting to you. You’re nice but too young.”
Ms MacDonald said evidence of the offence was then passed from police in Wales to officers in the north-east who dealt with Thomson.
The charge
Thomson, of Adamson Drive, Laurencekirk, pled guilty to attempting to communicate indecently with an older child.
The charge stated he, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming the complainer, sent sexual written communications to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl.
Sentence deferred
Defence agent David Sutherland asked for sentence to be deferred for reports and reserved mitigation for the sentencing hearing.
Sheriff Margaret Hodge deferred sentence until April and ordered a social work report and risk assessment.
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