An engineer who lost his job when he was arrested on suspicion of being a paedophile has avoided jail after being convicted by a jury.
Michael Insch sent an indecent video of himself to a female decoy he believed was a 13-year-old girl.
His communications with what he thought was a child landed him in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court, where the 48-year-old stood trial earlier this year.
Insch had claimed he knew he was messaging an adult, but the jury believed otherwise and found him guilty.
At sentencing, Insch’s defence agent, Paul Barnett, told the court his client “did experience some sexual arousal by speaking to someone who told him she was thirteen years old”.
Mr Barnett went on to state that Insch “believed it was not a child he was speaking to,” adding “it turns out he was right about that.”
‘Sad, isolated’ engineer lost his job when he was arrested
The lawyer also revealed that his client had lost his engineering job of 17 years upon arrest for the charges and described his client as a “sad, isolated” character.
Mr Barnett told the court that Insch would be willing to carry out unpaid work or be placed under an electronically tagged curfew, instead of jail time, adding, “even if this might make him feel more isolated.”
Insch was convicted of being in possession of indecent images between April 2018 and September 2023, and found guilty of a further charge of communicating indecently with a child aged between 13 and 16.
The court heard that three Category C images, the least severe kind, were recovered, and Insch had sent the female decoy a video of himself carrying out a sexual act.
Insch spared jail because he showed remorse
Sheriff Lesley Johnstone said the jury had clearly rejected Insch’s position that he had not saved indecent images intentionally.
“Thankfully, no children were engaged in the communication,” she told him.
“But let me be clear, this can cause real harm and has a ripple effect to the wider community. There is the potential to cause harm.
“The seriousness easily meets the threshold of a custodial sentence.”
However, the sheriff recognised Insch had shown insight and remorse and had now accepted the jury’s verdict, so she decided not to send him to prison.
“This is a direct alternative to custody,” Sheriff Johnstone explained. “You will carry out three hundred hours of unpaid work, to be completed within two years.”
Court made order to ‘protect the public’
The sheriff also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on Insch to “protect the public and young people” for five years.
Insch was told he must complete a rehabilitation programme for sex offenders.
He will also be subject to the sex offenders notification requirements for five years.
Insch, of Kinellar, was also banned from having any unauthorised contact with children under the age of 18.
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