An Aberdeen man who was snared by online paedophile hunters after sending an explicit picture to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl has been jailed
Mark Inness was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
He admitted sending messages as well as the image between July 13 and July 26 last year.
He also admitted sending sexually explicit messages to another online decoy on September 2 last year.
The court heard the 27-year-old used an online chat service to speak to people and got chatting to a young girl there.
Inness, of Crawton Ness, Aberdeen, began a conversation with what he believed was a teenager and he started the online conversation with ‘Hey, how are you?’
Only for the decoy account, which featured a profile picture of a teenager, to tell him she was 14-years-old.
Fiscal depute Colin Neilson told the court how the online conversation progressed between Inness and the supposed teenager progressed.
He said Inness sent a picture of his genitals to the decoy and when she ask why he did it he replied ‘because I want to have sex with you.’
Mr Neilson added: “She reiterated she was 14 whereupon the accused asked for a photograph of her in her underwear. She said her camera was broken.”
He said Inness and the decoy made telephone contact and continued to asked for naked images of the decoy.
Mr Neilson said the Keeping Kids Safe group recorded the telephone calls and captured the chatroom conversations with Inness.
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A second decoy female was contacted by Inness on September 2 and he said he wanted to call her.
Mr Neilson said a few days later on September 14, the Keeping Kids Safe group discovered Inness worked at Timpsons at Berryden retail park and 12 days later they went to confront him.
Inness denied any knowledge of the offences during the confrontation with the group, who contacted the police.
He told the officers who arrested him ‘I am against it’ and was taken to Kittybrewster police station.
Defence agent Andrew Ormiston said Inness had “lost everything” because of his actions.
He said turned to the internet because he was lonely due to the way his and now estranged wife’s work schedules.
Mr Ormiston said: “He has lost everything as a result of his conduct. He lost his wife, his home and job and is now back with his mother.
“He found it difficult talk and his relationship with his now estranged wife.
“The individuals were living separate lives due to work patterns and he turned to the internet for companionship.“
Sheriff Philip Mann said: “These are serious offences although the person you were speaking to was not an actual child.
“I have concluded that the matter is so serious that only a custodial sentence would be acceptable.”
Sheriff Mann jailed Inness for nine months, placed him on a supervision order for 24 months on release, as well as placing him on the sex offenders register.
A spokesman for Keeping Kids Safe welcomed the sentence.
He said: “I’m delighted with this sentence.
“Although not as long as I would have hoped, its a step in the right direction and hopefully is a sign that the justice system is taking cases like this more seriously.
“I’d like to think this will act as a deterrent to others looking to do harm to our children as protecting our kids should be a top priority.”
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