An RAF serviceman threatened to rape a woman on an online dating site.
Nathan Brown, 23, who’s based at Leuchars, repeatedly sent a woman threatening messages of an explicit nature via Tinder.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard he repeatedly sent the woman graphic messages in the early hours of December 9 last year after they had previously spoken on the app.
Fiscal depute Joanne Smith said: “She became uncomfortable with the content and nature of his messages, in particular on December 9 when she woke up to a number of messages sent by him.
“The messages caused her alarm.
“At 4.27am she received a message which was extremely sexual in nature and then received a further two messages of a similar nature at 7.52am and 7.59am.
“She replied at 8am which aggravated the accused and he replied with a further message of a sexual nature at 8.15am.”
Around an hour later Brown sent a further message apologising for his earlier comments – wishing the woman good luck over “what she is hoping to find on Tinder”.
She contacted police and Brown was traced and interviewed.
He admitted making the comments and said he had got drunk the night before.
He told officers he had anger issues which he wanted help for and described the incident as a cry for help.
Solicitor John Boyle, defending, urged Sheriff Alastair Brown to call for psychological reports.
Mr Boyle said: “It’s clear that this very worrying behaviour has a root cause which needs to be explored.”
Brown admitted engaging in a course of conduct which caused a woman fear and alarm by contacting her by telephone and repeatedly sending her messages of a threatening and sexual nature, on December 9 last year, at an address in north-east Fife.
Sheriff Brown said: “The messages which you sent make extremely serious and graphic threats of conduct which amounts to threats of rape.
“I have heard it said that those who become involved in online sites of this sort are taking on a significant risk.
“But she bears no responsibility for what happened. She didn’t ask for it and is in every sense the victim.
“So far as I can discover nothing in what she said online can conceivably make you think that she might have welcomed that.”
Sentence was deferred until May 27 for psychological and background reports and assessments.
Brown was placed on the sex offenders register meantime.
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