A former professional wrestling referee is facing jail after being caught sending sick messages to decoys he believed were underage girls.
John Gerrie used Facebook to try to speak to five different “children”, one of whom said they were 10-years-old.
However, the paedophile was actually chatting to adult decoys who he bombarded with sexual messages.
Gerrie was later confronted at his home by members of the vigilante group Groom Resisters Scotland.
The 54-year-old, who previously worked as a wrestling referee, admitted attempting to communicate indecently with people he thought were children between May and June 2018 from his home on Lorimer Street, Dundee.
Sick chats with ‘children’
The city’s sheriff court was told how Gerrie first used the Facebook account ‘Onn Gerrie’ to send messages to a person he believed was a 12-year-old child.
Gerrie was actually talking to a decoy from the No More Silent Voices group which aims to root out online predators.
Fiscal depute Gavin Letford explained how Gerrie continually sent sexual messages to the “children” despite being informed of their ages.
Mr Letford said: “The accused stated to the first complainer ‘you look nice’ before the decoy replied ‘are you okay that I’m 12?’
“The accused said ‘yes, you’re nice.’
“The conversation becomes sexualised and the accused talks about placing his hands down the child’s pants.”
Gerrie sent similar messages to two other decoys, posing as girls aged 12 and 13, from the Justice for the Innocent group over the same period.
During some of the messaging, Gerrie said he would like to “cuddle and kiss” the 12-year-old child before suggesting they could sleep together.
Similar messages were sent to the other decoy, which included references to “feeling” them.
The messages continue
A decoy from For Our Kids UK, pretending to be a 10-year-old child, received messages from Gerrie saying that he loved them and wanted to be their boyfriend.
Mr Letford added Gerrie made a string of sexual remarks to an independent decoy, posing as a 14-year-old girl.
“The accused said they looked nice and would love to get to know her.
“There were other messages saying he would love to feel her, which he explained that meant putting hands down one another’s pants.
“The messages became more explicit and referenced sexual acts.
“He said they could make love and it would be their secret.”
The chat logs were later passed to members of Groom Resisters Scotland who filmed their confrontation at Gerrie’s home.
At one point in the video, Gerrie reveals he is a father and claims to have a girlfriend.
He goes on to say he uses the internet to speak to children about wrestling.
On the day he was due to stand trial at Dundee Sheriff Court, Gerrie pled guilty to five charges of sending sexual messages and attempting to communicate indecently with a person he believed to be a child, between May 29 and June 19, 2018.
Solicitor Douglas Thomson said: “Quite clearly reports will be required.
“There has been no repetition of any behaviour of this nature at all.”
Sentence was deferred until next month by Sheriff Alastair Carmichael.
Gerrie was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
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