A Glenrothes dad’s “head hung in shame” in the dock after admitting sending explicit images and videos of himself to a police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.
Steven Riddell posed as a teenager on a chat site for youths but was snared by police who eventually raided his home.
Riddell, 31, had used website TeenChat, for 13-to-19-year-olds, to strike up conversation with an account named “AvaBabes”.
He began communicating with the account, which was set up as a 13-year-old girl in March 2021.
Riddell appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court to admit communicating indecently between March and May last year and possessing indecent images of children over three years.
Switched social media
Police also set up a Snapchat account for their decoy, which Riddell asked to add to his own account.
Over this, he asked the girl to send full-body naked pictures in exchange for money and offered £10 via PayPal or in Amazon vouchers.
The officer operating the decoy told Riddell they were 13 and scared but the pervert went on to suggest swapping naked pictures.
The decoy sent a fully-clothed image of a uniformed schoolgirl posing in the mirror, to which Riddell replied with a selfie.
As March progressed into April, Riddell began to routinely send photographs of his private parts and videos of him performing sex acts.
On one occasion, he requested the decoy send him a photograph of her bare feet.
Traced by officers
Police tracked down the IP address of the device Riddell was using and sought a warrant to raid his home in Glenrothes.
They arrived at the property in which he lives with his wife and young son at 7.45am on May 27.
Riddell told the five officers he had sexual chats online with adults.
He said he did not remember his chats with “Ava”.
Two mobile phones were seized and on a Sony device, indecent images of children were found in Google Drive and Google Photos accounts .
These images data showed they had been in his possession since March 2018.
The first offender added he had “no idea” how the indecent images of children came to be on his phone.
Sentence deferred
Defending solicitor Dewar Spence said: “This seemed to start with what might be seen as adult pornography being viewed.
“He’s had difficulty continuing with his family life.
“He’s keen to get this brought to an end.
“He is in full time employment.”
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane deferred sentence until September 28 and placed Riddell on the Sex Offenders Register.
She told him: “You may well sit there with your head hanging in shame because not only have you ruined your life, but your family’s as well.
“I’m going to have to get a report.”
