A Dundonian creep was snared by paedophile hunters after sending a video of himself performing a sex act to someone he believed was a schoolgirl.
Michael McColl appeared in the dock at Dundee Sheriff Court to admit trying to communicate indecently with a child last year.
McColl spent two and a half months sending sick messages to the decoy account.
These included photos of his private parts and a video of him performing a sex act.
The 42-year-old will be sentenced on July 21.
Sick correspondence
McColl pled guilty to attempting to communicate indecently with a child by sending sexual messages and files over Whatsapp and a dating site.
From his home in Adamson Court in Dundee, McColl sent the messages for the purposes of gaining sexual gratification or for humiliating, alarming or distressing his victim.
Between January 12 and April 1 in 2023, he communicated with an account he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl called Megan Ashfield.
In fact, his messages were being received by a grown woman posing as a schoolgirl.
‘You need an older boy’
Fiscal depute Lora Apostolova told the court the account user quickly told McColl she was only 13.
“Despite this, he continues to speak in a sexual manner,” she said.
McColl sent a photo of his erect penis and and then asked: “Show me one pic of you.
“Do me a sexy one of you in underwear.”
In response, McColl was told she was too young but he continued badgering her for pyjama pictures.
The account user told told McColl after he sent a picture of his genitals, she had never seen “a real one before” because she was 13.
He responded with a video of him performing a sex act.
The “girl” continued to stress she wasn’t used to seeing such content as she was only 13.
McColl told her she looked older than that.
Responding to more of her requests for photographs, the decoy said she would get into trouble.
McColl began asking whether the girl had a boyfriend. He was told the boys at her school were stupid.
“You need an older boy like me to look after you,” he said.
He said they could be boyfriend and girlfriend and added: “Age isn’t an issue.”
In the dock
Police arrested McColl on April 1 and his mobile phone was seized and analysed.
He has been on bail since appearing in court on May 23 last year.
After his guilty plea was recorded, a motion to forfeit the phone went unopposed.
Solicitor David Sinclair said: “He does have a record going back of some vintage.
“Mr McColl has been very co-operative throughout.”
Sheriff Alastair Carmichael deferred sentencing until next month for background reports.
He placed McColl on the Sex Offenders Register on an interim basis.
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