A sex offender was caught red-handed when a graphic image of a youngster appeared on his phone while police were installing monitoring equipment on it.
Francis Burns, who sent explicit photographs on social media, claimed he had deleted pictures because he was “embarrassed that the police would see his penis”.
The 49-year-old was jailed for ten months on Friday after he admitted breaching the terms of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).
Burns – who was previously jailed for two years for pretending to be a teenage boy on chat sites to obtain naked pictures of children – admitted two charges.
He admitted deleting text messages and explicit images from WhatsApp after being placed on a SOPO lasting five years from October 2020.
Fiscal depute Marie Lyons told Dundee Sheriff Court specialist police were about to place monitoring equipment on Burns’ phone when a message arrived.
She said: “A message arrived via Facebook Messenger.
“It said ‘there you go, satisfied now? Don’t ask me for such any more.’
“There was a naked picture with breasts exposed.
“This message suggested the accused had contacted the female asking for photographs but there was no conversation trail.
“That suggested he had deleted the conversation.”
It emerged he had also been having sexually explicit conversation with an adult woman and had been sending pictures of his genitals to her.
He broke the terms of his order by deleting the images.
Mrs Lyons said: “He said he deleted the images of his penis due to embarrassment they would be viewed by police.”
Burns told police: “I’m sorry, it was a mistake.
“I shouldn’t have done it. I can’t remember doing it.”
Jailing him, Sheriff Robert More said: “It is not a minor breach.
“This is something that cannot be categorised that way.”
Previous offence
Burns was jailed in 2017 when he targeted four different children via mobile social media apps Kik and SayHi.
At that time, he claimed he was a 14-year-old boy.
Burns then asked for indecent pictures of the child.
He sent the child an indecent image and continued to ask for more naked and explicit photos.
The child later blocked him but he contacted the youngster again through another chat app, threatening to put the images on Facebook if he did not receive more.
The child’s father was informed and police were notified.
Officers searched Burns’ home at the time in East School Road, where all of the offences were committed, and it became clear there were three other victims.
Sheriff Alastair Brown, presiding in that case, said: “This is dreadful deception and manipulation of children by a middle-aged man.”
