A mum has issued a warning to other parents after a pervert appeared in court for sending sexual messages to her 14-year-old daughter.
Shaun Struthers admitting sending sexual written communications to the child, along with two sexual images, between April and September last year.
The 30-year-old “stepped significantly over the line” with the messages and was handed supervision and unpaid work when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
And now the mother of the girl has spoken out about the horrific impact Struthers’ actions have had on the family, and to warn other parents.
She said: “I would just tell them to be very, very vigilant of what’s going on on their kids’ phones and obviously just look out for any change in their children’s behaviour.
“If people are made aware then hopefully nobody else will have to suffer like this.
“I’m quite gutted. To be honest, I think he should have got the jail.
“It came as a bit of a shock. It’s horrific what he did.
“We’re absolutely traumatised. Not one of us noticed what was going on.
“The messages are just awful, absolutely awful.
“As a mother, I’m absolutely traumatised.”
During the court hearing, defence agent Paul Barnett said his client expressed “genuine remorse” and “apologises for the distress it has caused the complainer”.
Sheriff Graham Buchanan said: “He stepped quite significantly over the line in relation to the content of the messages and of course the pictures that were sent.
“They weren’t pictures of him, they were pictures of things taken from a film. Quite inappropriate to be sending stuff like that to this particular individual.”
The sheriff ordered Struthers, of Bannerman Place, Aberdeen, to be supervised for 12 months and to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.
He also made him subject to the notification requirement of the Sexual Offences Act.
This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.