A north-east man who asked underage teenagers to send him naked pictures has been placed in detention for two years.
David Ritchie admitted to befriending two 13-year-old school girls on Snapchat and, after carrying out normal conversations, he began to send them explicit pictures of himself.
He then repeatedly demanded they send him naked images in return.
As well as this, he also admitted to sending explicit pictures of himself to a 15-year-old.
Two of these teenagers were approached after he was ordered not to contact anyone under the age of 16.
When police raided his home in Carnie Brae in Kintore, they found his phone where the activity had taken placed hidden in a cavity in the wall.
The 20-year-old confessed to the offences at Aberdeen Sheriff Court last month and returned to be sentence yesterday.
Sheriff Andrew Miller, imposing a sentence, said: “In my view, a community based disposal is not justifiable.
“Only a significant period of detention would represent adequate punishment.”
Ritchie was also placed on the sex offenders register for ten years and made subject to a sexual prevention order for five years.
Under this, he will be banned from contacting anyone under the age of 16 and must make any device he owns available to the police upon request.
Gillian Martin, MSP for Aberdeenshire East, said adults should communicate the dangers of speaking to strangers online.
She said: “More and more frequently, the internet and social media is being used as a means to send explicit photos online by teenagers as well as receiving them.
“We need to find a way to be more open with young people about the dangers of speaking to strangers online and the impact it can have on people.”
