A pensioner who sent a video of himself carrying out a sex act to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl has been placed on the sex offenders register.
Hugh Davidson was snared by a paedophile hunter group after he sent sexual messages, pictures and videos to a decoy account under the name of ‘Paige’.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard how Davidson approached Paige on social media and soon after asked her for her number so they could chat on the WhatsApp encrypted social media platform.
Despite being aware that she was 13-years-old, messages sent by Davidson quickly became sexual and he urged Paige not to tell anyone they were speaking as he would “get into trouble”.
He then sent a video lasting a few minutes of him carrying out a sex act on himself.
The 69-year-old pleaded guilty to one charge of communicating indecently with a child.
Fiscal depute Lucy Simpson told the court that Davidson had questioned the decoy about her age and school before asking her to record naked videos of herself and to send them to him.
He then sent a video of himself naked in a bathroom carrying out a sex act.
Ms Simpson said: “The video lasted minutes and again he requested that she send him a similar video of herself.
“He then sent a picture of him exposing himself and persistently asked her to send images of herself engaged in sexual activity.
“On December 6 2020, he told Paige he would send an image of a naked 13-year-old female as an inducement.
“She replied that she did not want to see the image.”
Members of the paedophile hunter group then confronted Davidson at his home and called the police.
He was taken into custody and questioned under caution at Kittybrewster Police Office – and admitted to knowing that Paige was only 13.
Davidson also admitted sending the video of himself.
Under caution, the 69-year-old said: “I did it, I shouldn’t have done it. It’s my first time I have spoken to a 13-year-old. I won’t do that again.”
‘He was lonely and vulnerable’
Defence agent Alex Burn said it was “tragic” that Davidson had got himself in this type of situation at his age.
He added: “He was lonely and vulnerable at the time this happened.”
Sheriff Graham Buchanan told the pensioner that it was a “quite disgusting offence” that he committed.
He added: “It is a serious matter and in fact, the person you were communicating with was an adult but your understanding was that it was a 13-year-old girl.
“That is why it is a very serious matter.”
As a direct alternative to a prison sentence, Sheriff Buchanan sentenced Davidson, of Arnage Crescent, Aberdeen, to a community payback order with a two-year supervision requirement and ordered him to cooperate with Aberdeen Sex Offenders Programme for 18 months.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register.
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