An Angus pervert who travelled to the Scottish Borders in a plan to meet up with a 13-year-old girl has had his name added to the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years.
Stewart Samson must also get permission from supervising officers if he wants to travel outside Angus after being placed on a Community Payback Order for the offence.
The 49-year-old father met the girl through a mobile phone app and started sending her messages in which he expressed a sexual interest in her.
Selkirk Sheriff Court heard how the girl initially told Samson she was 16 but even after suspecting she was younger, he made arrangements to meet her.
Samson, of Sir James Duncan Garden, Forfar pled guilty to a charge of having communicated with a girl under the age of 16, making arrangements to meet her intending to engage in unlawful sexual activity and attempting to meet her.
The court was told the girl was 13 years old at the time of the offence last November and that she was young-looking for her age and extremely shy.
Samson connected with her through the Say Hi mobile phone app and during chats, the girl told him she had a birthday coming up.
He suspected then she may be have been 15, but told her he would travel to meet her and would only go as far as a “kiss”.
Samson was spotted on CCTV in Galashiels and Selkirk but they did not meet.
He was caught when the 13-year-old’s mother contacted police after examining her daughter’s phone and finding their conversations.
Police went to Samson’s home in Forfar in January and on his way to police HQ in Dundee, told officers: “It’s a load of rubbish. She said she was 16.”
When charged, the accused replied: “I was never going to have sex with her”.
Defence lawyer Brian Bell previously told the court that in the early correspondence the girl indicated she was 18 but then said she was 16.
In one early morning message Samson wrote: “It is not going to stop me coming down on Saturday but if you are only 16 on your birthday it is going no further than a kiss lol xxx.”
The court heard Samson was a first offender who had a good work record but had lost his job as a result of the offence.
Sheriff David Clapham ordered Samson to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work under the three-year Community Payback Order.
Samson was also banned from having any unsupervised contact with under-18s and will take part in the Tay Project for sex offenders.
