A paedophile was snared by an undercover police officer posing as a child online, a court has heard.
Neil Ross contacted a profile in an online chat room – unaware that the “14-year-old” called “Sophie” was, in fact, a policeman.
After moving the conversation to Snapchat, Ross, 23, sent images of his genitals and asked to see under her pyjamas.
Ross admitted a single charge of attempting to communicate indecently with an older child at Inverness Sheriff Court.
The court was told he had previously been convicted of possessing indecent images.
Fiscal depute Naomi Duffy-Welsh told Sheriff Gary Aitken the contact began on January 31 of last year.
She said: “The accused made contact with an account by the name of Sophie on Chat Avenue – the account Sophie was, in fact, run by an undercover police officer.”
The court heard that the profile informed Ross “she was aged 14”, which he acknowledged.
Snapchat conversation turned sexual
This did not stop him from moving the conversation to Snapchat, where he quickly turned the conversation sexual, suggesting that he was performing a solo sex act and asking “Sophie” to see “under her pyjamas”.
Ms Duffy-Welsh said that Ross sent “Sophie” four photographs of his genitals – with his bedding clearly visible in the background.
The undercover officer passed the information and logs to the National Child Abuse Investigation Unit and a warrant was granted for a search of Ross’s home.
During the search bedding was seized – it matched what could be seen in the images sent to “Sophie”.
Ross also handed over his mobile phone to officers, with analysis later showing it to contain profiles matching those that had been messaging “Sophie”.
Sheriff Aitken told solicitor Marc Dickson, for Ross, that he was seriously considering imposing a sexual harm prevention order.
Sheriff’s jail warning
He told Ross: “You have a previous conviction for section 52A [possession of indecent images] – you have moved on to attempting to actually contact children.”
The sheriff noted that it was possible some of the offending had occurred while Ross was subject to the Moving Forward to Change programme for sexual offenders as a result of his earlier conviction.
He called for a presentencing report and a further assessment for the Moving Forward to Change programme.
He told Ross: “There is an exceedingly high possibility that there will be nothing other than a custodial sentence appropriate here.”
Ross, of Heights of Achterneed, Strathpeffer, was also placed on the sex offenders register with immediate effect. He was allowed to remain on bail until the case calls for sentencing next month.