A Moray pensioner who sent a filthy text to a married woman and then begged her to delete it has been placed on the sex offenders’ register.
Raymond Grant, 75, told the woman he was having “bad thoughts” about her on March 23 this year.
When she asked why, Grant texted back describing a sex act.
The pensioner then begged the woman to delete the message and repeatedly apologised, Elgin Sheriff Court was told.
In one of the messages that followed the explicit text, fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh said Grant had even acknowledged that he “shouldn’t have sent it”.
‘I had bad thoughts about you’
She explained that the accused had met the woman outdoors at around 3.55pm on March 23.
Later that afternoon, Grant messaged her, saying: “To be totally honest with you, I had bad thoughts about you, sorry.”
The fiscal told the court that the woman felt “uneasy about what could come next, so asked her husband if she should reply”.
They both decided it might be perfectly innocent.
The woman then texted back: “Oh, in what way?” to which Grant first asked: “Would you delete it immediately if I send it?”
When the woman said “Okay” he wrote back describing a sex act on her.
A message followed and stated: “Sorry – totally honest. Sorry. Know I’m bad”.
And another read: “Did you delete as asked? Please? Know I shouldn’t have sent it. I am sorry”.
After getting the silent treatment, Grant sent another text that read: “Say something … I know you are angry with me”.
Blocked after calling victim
When he tried to call her, the married woman then blocked him and police were called and shown screenshots of the messages.
Grant admitted to sending alarming and indecent communications to the woman.
A not-guilty plea to a charge of sending an explicit image was accepted by the Crown.
Grant’s defence agent Grant Dalglish did not wish to expand on the information provided to social workers but did say the offence was reported to police two months after it occurred and not long after his client had reported the complainer to officers.
Sheriff Olga Pasportnikov studied background reports and placed Grant, of Blane Place in Elgin, on a two-year supervision order and told him to carry out essential elements of the Moving Forward Making Changes sex offenders’ rehabiltation programme.
She also placed him the sex offenders’ register.
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