A sinister serial paedophile – who has been branded a “menace to teenage girls” – has been jailed again after sending a string of vile sexual messages and pictures to children as young as 12.
Stewart Barclay contacted five different girls on Snapchat asking for sexual images and sending them graphic photos of himself.
And the 23-year-old predator even groped terrified children when he met them in person, insisting one girl should wear more revealing clothes.
On one occasion, Barclay provided a teen girl with a mobile phone and threatened to take it away from her if she didn’t send him photos of her in her underwear.
Fiscal depute Kirsty Martin told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the first child became friends with Barclay on Snapchat in 2016 when she was just 13 years old.
She described the conversation as being “normal to begin with” but he would then ask her to perform sex acts on him.
The predator would also enquire if the young girl wanted to meet for “some fun” in exchange for him buying her a takeaway or energy drinks.
Tried to touch girl’s breasts
In 2018, when the girl was around 15 years old, Barclay sent her graphic sexual pictures and videos of his genitals, of him naked in the shower and of him performing sex acts.
The girl did not reply to the messages but told her mum about them.
When out with friends, the child would sometimes meet up with Barclay who “tried to touch her breasts and bottom over her clothing”.
On one occasion he put his hand up her top, touching her bare skin, although she managed to push him away before he got past her stomach.
The physical contact happened on around four occasions.
Another girl, aged just 12, met Barclay through the first child in 2018.
Ms Martin told the court: “She states that he constantly messaged her on Instagram and Snapchat for around one-and-a-half years.
“She described the Snapchat messages from the accused as sexual and unprovoked.”
Gave victim mobile phone
Within the sickening messages, Barclay would ask for sex and send her pictures of his penis and of him in just his underwear.
When meeting her in person, Barclay would regularly touch the girl, making her feel “uncomfortable”.
He would hug her, grab her breasts and buttocks and grab his own genitals in front of her.
On one occasion he even tried to kiss her but she was able to push him away.
The girl told Barclay to stop the behaviour but he did not listen, instead he commented on and stared at her breasts and “told her to wear more revealing clothing”.
A third victim, aged 15, also knew Barclay through the same group of friends.
Barclay gave her a mobile phone, at her request, and provided her with his number.
From the summer of 2018 onwards, she and Barclay regularly swapped messages, mainly on Snapchat.
Girl, 13, send naked pictures
While the conversation again started relatively normally before Barclay began asking for pictures of her in her underwear.
Ms Martin said: “The accused stated that if she didn’t, he would take the phone back.
“As a result, she sent around 10 pictures over the course of two weeks of herself posing in just her underwear.
“She found the accused ‘pushy’ and states that he replied to these pictures by sending her images of himself naked, which she did not request.”
A fourth victim was repeatedly contacted by Barclay via Snapchat in 2019 when she was just 13 years old.
Barclay would generally enquire if she was alone and immediately turn the conversation sexual if she was.
The girl eventually blocked Barclay when he sent her an image of himself standing naked in front of a mirror.
Fifth victim targeted
Yet another victim, number five, became Snapchat friends with Barclay in 2019 when she was 15.
Barclay sent her a topless image of himself and his communications “escalated” to him sending a total of five full-body nude images of himself.
She told him she did not want the images and blocked him.
Barclay, of Ardinn Crescent, Turriff, pled guilty to six charges committed for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming his victims.
These included four charges of coercing a child under 16 to look at a sexual image and communicating indecently with her and one of causing a child under 13 to look at a sexual image and communicating indecently with her.
He also admitted sexually assaulting and communicating indecently with a child under 13.
Additionally, Barclay pled guilty to engaging in sexual activity with or towards a child under 16 and to breaching a bail condition.
Previous convictions
This isn’t the first time Barclay has targeted children on Snapchat.
In 2022 appeared in court on similar charges and was ultimately jailed after being described as a “menace to teenage girls”.Â
Defence agent Mike Monro said: “I think I can say that I’ve been representing accused persons in courts for many, many years and I’m not known as someone who can find little to say in mitigation.
“But, to be perfectly honest, it’s very difficult indeed to find anything mitigatory to say in these circumstances.
“He is someone who does not respond, it appears, to assistance.
“He behaves in this way, which is wholly and utterly unacceptable, and he almost goes into denial.”
The solicitor also acknowledged the “distress and mental harm he can cause to others, particularly young girls”.
No alternative but jail
Sheriff Graham Buchanan interjected: “The criminal justice social work report is just so negative.
“At the moment, there’s just nowhere to go in relation to the matter of rehabilitation.”
Mr Monro added: “There’s nothing in the report with regard to any kind of mental health issue.”
Sheriff Buchanan told Barclay: “I think in this case there’s quite simply no alternative to a sentence which includes a period of imprisonment.”
In relation to the bail breach, he imposed a three-month prison sentence.
In relation to the sexual offences, the sheriff imposed an extended sentence comprising of 21 months in jail (consecutive to the three months) and a further two years on licence in the community.
He also placed Barclay on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
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