A “lonely” sex offender who was exposed by a paedophile hunter group sobbed in the dock after being warned he is facing a prison term.
George Fraser appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Monday after previously admitting sending sexualised messages to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl.
The court was told the 33-year-old had downloaded a mobile application called Nearby in a bid to make friends.
But he began sending inappropriate messages and images of his genitals to the fictional girl between July 1 and October 14 last year – after being told she was a young teenager.
The girl’s profile actually belonged to a member of the Innocence Keepers – a group who expose sex offenders on social media.
Fraser, of Glenrothes, was confronted by members of the group outside B&Q in Leven on October 14 before being arrested and charged.
VIDEO: Fife man, snared by ‘paedophile hunter’ group outside B&Q, placed on sex offenders register
Depute fiscal Jade Doig previously told the court eight messages were sent before the nature of the conversation became sexualised.
She added: “In total, 860 messages were sent between the accused and the witness.
“The accused made sexual remarks about what he wished to do to her and sent a
picture of his erect penis and a picture of his face.”
Defence solicitor Megan Davidson urged the court to deal with Fraser in the community as he would be “vulnerable” in prison.
She said: “Mr Fraser was feeling lonely and downloaded the app in an attempt to make friends online.
“He is socially isolated and doesn’t have any friends locally. The first message that he sent to this person was one that he had sent to a lot of people, it had been copied and pasted.
“He also accepts that although he was made aware of the age of this person very early on, he put it to the back of his mind as he was enjoying having someone to talk to.
“He appreciates that the court have to consider a custodial sentence and the seriousness of this offence.
“However, I would submit that Mr Fraser would be vulnerable in custody due to his physical and mental health issues.
“He does present as somebody who suffers from low mood. He is also responsible for assisting both parents who are disabled on a daily basis.”
She said social workers did not believe Fraser was fit for unpaid work, but he had indicated he was happy to perform it.
Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC deferred sentence to allow for a medical report to be submitted by Fraser’s defence.
But he added: “I’ve not at this stage decided that there is a realistic alternative to custody.”
Fraser was ordered to reappear on November 5.
