A Highland man who was caught in an online paedophile hunter sting has been placed on the sex offenders register.
John Floydd sent sexual messages to a volunteer decoy posing as a 13-year-old girl, instructing her to perform a solo sex act and asking for a topless photo.
The messages were passed to police and Floydd was confronted in a sting that was live-streamed over social media.
Floydd, 67, appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court to admit a single charge of communicating indecently with a person he believed to be an older child.
Paedophile hunters snared man online
Fiscal depute Naomi-Duffy Welsh said that Floydd was reported to police by a witness working as a decoy for Saving Children’s Futures,
She said the volunteer had set up a profile “presenting as being a 13-year-old child”.
The court heard that on January 5 last year, Floydd contacted the decoy on an app called ChatHour, using a profile with the username Floydie55.
Ms Duffy-Welsh said: “During the initial conversation the witness made it clear that they were 13 years old, which the accused later acknowledged.”
The decoy gave Floydd a phone number and received a text message from him. The pair spoke about Floydd living in Scotland and the child’s school.
“The accused also made reference to her age during the course of the conversation, clearly showing that he was under the impression that he was speaking to a child,” the fiscal depute said.
The conversation soon moved onto another app called Telegram, where “before long it progressed to the accused making sexualised comments to the decoy”.
Floyd spoke to the decoy about “touching herself” and gave instructions on performing a solo sex act, before telling her he was “imagining her rubbing herself”.
Paedophile asked for topless pictures
He also asked the ‘child’ to send him a topless picture, referred to her being naked and made sexually explicit remarks.
The decoy operator reported the matter to the police and found out his home address.
Floydd, who the charge indicates was in Migdale Hospital at the time some of the messaging took place, was confronted by a team of vigilantes at his home in Muirfield Drive, Brora.
The sting, on February 6 of last year, was live-streamed over social media.
Police were called to the property, where Floydd was arrested and a search warrant executed, seizing mobile phones and laptop computers.
When interviewed by police Floydd “spoke freely and admitted communication with the decoy and being aware of her age”.
Solicitor Marc Dickson, for Floydd, reserved his comments in mitigation for the sentencing hearing, which will take place next month.
Sheriff Eilidh MacDonald placed Floydd on the sex offenders register with immediate effect – the eventual length of registration to be determined at sentencing.
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