GLASGOW MAN SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL COMMUNICATION WITH DECOY POSING AS TEEN

A man caught speaking sexually to a girl who he believed was 14 years old as a “joke” has been tagged for 25 weeks. Brian Carracher, 53, was instead chatting to an adult decoy posing as the child named “Sophie” in January 2023.Carracher added Sophie on Facebook from his flat in Glasgow’s Trongate.Sophie immediately told Carracher her age and he turned the conversation sexual. He asked if she was interested in “having fun” and requested to meet up.Carracher also asked to see the girl’s body, stated he wanted sex and for her to be his girlfriend.Carracher went on to send the decoy pictures.The decoy stated that she was going for a bath when Carracher replied: “Think of me in the bath with you.”The chat logs were sent by the decoy to another vigilante group based in Glasgow.Carracher was approached by the group at his home and the incident was live streamed.Prosecutor Josh Dowie told Glasgow Sheriff Court: “When asked why he contacted a 14-year-old child, he stated that he was ‘just joking’.”Carracher was later arrested but taken to hospital due to a substantial eye injury he claimed he sustained five months before.He was declared fit and taken into a police station.Two mobile phones were recovered from Carracher.One of the numbers sent in a conversation with the decoy related to one of the phones seized.Carracher pled guilty to sending written sexual communication to someone pretending to be a child.Sheriff Vincent Lunny tagged Carracher for 25 weeks keeping him indoors between 7pm and 7am.He was also put on the sex offenders register and under supervision for 30 months.