A Glenrothes man who was exposed by a paedophile hunter group sobbed in the dock as he was spared jail.
George Fraser appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court after previously admitting sending sexual messages to a social media account which he believed belonged to a 13-year-old girl.
The 30-year-old went on to send explicit personal pictures and gave detailed descriptions of sexual acts he wanted to carry out, despite knowing “her” age.
Fraser, of The Henge, was actually talking to a member of The Innocence Keepers who later set up a sting outside B&Q in Leven on October 14.
>> Keep up to date with the latest news with The Courier newsletter
He later admitted intentionally sending sexual written communications to a person who he believed was a child between 1 July and 14 October in 2017.
The court previously heard how Fraser initiated contact with the profile on the Nearby social media site with the messages becoming sexualised after just eight exchanges.
A total of 860 messages were sent between Fraser and the decoy from the hunter group.
Defence solicitor Megan Davidson told the court her client was “struggling to come to terms with why he behaved in the manner libelled”.
But she urged Sheriff Jamie Gilchrist QC to spare him a custodial sentence and to instead send him the sex offender groupwork programme Moving Forward, Making Changes.
She previously told the court her client acted as a carer for both his elderly parents, who were in court supporting him.
Sheriff Gilchrist said: “The offence that you admitted carrying out is clearly a serious matter and could warrant a substantial custodial sentence.
“Having said that, I have considered the various reports put before me and there does seem to be an argument that the public interest and indeed your interests would be better served by requiring you to submit to a community payback order with various conditions.”
He placed Fraser under supervision for three years, during which time he must also adhere to the notification requirements of the sex offenders register.
He must also take part in the group work programme identified for 36 months and must perform 250 hours of unpaid work within nine months.
Fraser is also banned from having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16 and must surrender his electronic devices for examination when required.
