A 26-year-old Fife man contacted a 12-year-old on Snapchat and told her he would rape her.
Procurator fiscal depute Dev Kapadia told Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court Joshua Nelson used an account called “easy money” to initiate contact with the girl on instant messaging social media app Snapchat, before sending messages including “I’m going to get you pregnant” and “I’m going to rape you x whether you like it or not.”
Mr Kapadia said the girl replied with “what?” and Nelson replied with a further message saying he would rape her.
She said, “don’t”.
Nelson went on to send further explicit messages to the girl.
Mr Kapadia said the girl told police she had told Nelson she was only 12, although the police report said no screenshots of this message were obtained and Nelson maintained he had no knowledge of her age.
The depute fiscal said: “She was quite disturbed about receiving the messages and told her mother about the messages and both of them attended Kirkcaldy police station.”
Denied knowing victim’s age
The court heard Nelson was arrested in December and admitted to police the user name on the account received by the girl was his.
Nelson told police he had created the account anonymously so he could give money to females on Only Fans – an adult subscription-based social media platform, often used by sex workers and adult entertainment stars.
Mr Kapadia said: “He was shown the messages and said he remembered that conversation and he said ‘I’m usually quite a reserved person so basically that was a kink thing’.
“He said it was not malicious, that he was not saying he was going to do this, it was a kick, no malicious intent behind it, it was simply a sexual thing.
“He was asked if he knew the complainer was 12 and he said he did not.
“Asked if she ever told him, he said ‘not to my knowledge, no’.
“He again said ‘not to my knowledge’ about her age, ‘it’s not something I have a passion for’.
“Asked if he sent messages to humiliate the girl, he said he thought it was between consenting adults.
“He said it was disgusting and that ‘I would not want anyone to do that to my daughter’.
“The officer said the accused appeared extremely shocked and mortified when told she was 12 years old.
“Everything else was screenshotted but the initial exchange was not screenshotted.”
Placed on Register
Nelson, of Bowling Green Street in Cowdenbeath, pled guilty to communicating indecently with the child in July last year by repeatedly sending her messages of a sexual nature and stating he would rape her.
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane deferred sentence until February 21 for the production of background reports and Nelson was placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
