A Fife paedophile pensioner has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for two years after being caught in a sting chatting with a child decoy account.
David Moffat, 78, of Kinghorn, admitted trying to communicate indecently with a child in September 2021.
He admitted his sexual chats with the decoy account – which he thought was run by a child called Andy but was in fact run by an adult – were for sexual gratification, or to humiliate, alarm or distress the recipient of his messages.
Moffat also admitted taking or making and possessing indecent images of children at a property in Leven.
Alternative to prison available
At Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, his solicitor Alan Jackson said around the time of the offence, his client had been diagnosed with cancer and had lost his sister.
“He was very, very low and depressed. There are a number of supports now.”
Sheriff Robert More placed Moffat under supervision for two years – as a direct alternative to jail – and on the Sex Offenders Register for as long.
The sheriff said: “At the age of 78, you find yourself before the court for the first time, against a background of a life which has involved very considerable public service over a prolonged period.
“Fundamentally, as a matter of law, the charges to which you’ve pleaded guilty are of a gravity that would justify the imposition of a period of imprisonment.
“In the circumstances of the case, I readily reach the conclusion that it is not the only appropriate sentence available to me.”
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