A former Turriff man has avoided jail after admitting to sending pictures of himself to a teenage girl.
Greg Mitchell, 35, appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be convicted of one charge of sending a sexual image to a 15-year-old girl.
Mitchell messaged the teen on Tik Tok, initially from a number registered to his wife, the court heard.
The image showed Mitchell naked from the waist up and he had zoomed in on his crotch area, fiscal depute Sophia Ramzan said.
Devil with horns filter
Ms Ramzan explained that Mitchell also messaged the girl on Snapchat and used a filter which showed him wearing devil’s horns.
In one exchange, he sent a photo of himself adding “shower” and “hot” emojis and the girl replied to ask what he meant.
Mitchell said he was just out of the shower and asked if she “had much on”.
“The girl answered asking if he knew who she was, and that she was only aged 15,” continued Ms Ramzan.
“[Mitchell] replied sharing another photo with his right leg and a close up of his groin area.
She said she was only 15
“He captioned it ‘ha ha’.
“She replied again stating she was 15 years old.”
Mitchell responded to say he thought she was 17 and told her she was “pretty as well by the way”.
Mitchell then sent her a picture of him naked from the waist up, the court was told, and at this point, the girl blocked him from messaging her.
The teen had taken screenshots of Mitchell’s photos and messages and later that day told her mother, who contacted the police.
Search warrant obtained
Mitchell’s then-home address in Turriff was searched and he was taken to Fraserburgh custody suite to be interviewed.
“At that time,” Ms Ramzan said. “He denied it was for any sexual purpose and said he would not have done that knowing that she was 15.”
Mitchell pled guilty to intentionally causing the 15-year-old to look at a sexual image for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, by sending images of his lower body, including a close-up of his groin, and a photo of his naked torso.
Mitchell’s defence solicitor Alannah Comerford Commerford said her client was a first offender with no previous record.
Unacceptable behaviour
She said: “He is fully aware his behaviour was unacceptable and inappropriate – it was not reflective to his character.
“He does not know why he did it and is very regretful to be appearing in court today.
“This has been a stark warning for him.”
Mitchell, now of Pyotshaw Way, Cambuslang, works offshore and Ms Commerford added: “He is a proactive member of society because he is employed.”
Sheriff Morag McLaughlan placed Mitchell under a supervision order for two years and ordered that he carry out 200 hours of unpaid work as a direct alternative to custody.
She also ordered him to carry out “any program work” that his social worker deemed necessary and made him subject to the Sex Offenders notification requirements for two years.