EDINBURGH MAN DEAN MORGAN SENT PICTURES TO '12-YEAR-OLD' IN ONLINE CHAT
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Edinburgh, Dean Morgan, a 41-year-old man, has been sentenced to prison after engaging in a prolonged period of online grooming and sending explicit images to an individual he believed was a young girl.The incident unfolded over several months in 2019, during which Morgan initiated contact with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl named Bekki on an online chat platform.
According to court records, Morgan, operating under the alias ‘Danny,’ began communicating with the decoy account set up by members of paedophile hunter groups Safeguarding Kids Online and Cobra UK.
These groups had created the account in the name of Bekki to monitor and catch potential offenders.
The conversations started in May 2019, and within a month, Morgan’s messages quickly turned sexualized.
Prosecutor Rosie Cook explained that Morgan asked Bekki if she wore thongs and sent her images of himself dressed in women’s underwear, which he later deleted.
Further into their interactions, Morgan sent a graphic image of his erect penis and even a video of himself performing a solo sex act.
He also made explicit comments, suggesting that Bekki would “love them inside her,” and repeatedly begged her to send him nude photographs of herself.
Over the course of four months, Morgan exchanged hundreds of messages with the decoy, often urging her to remove her clothing and perform sexual acts on camera.
One of his messages explicitly requested her to lift her nightie and remove her underwear, illustrating the predatory nature of his communications.
During the investigation, police were alerted after the decoy, acting as Bekki, reported Morgan’s messages.
The authorities then traced the online activity back to Morgan’s residence in the Meadowbank area of Edinburgh.
Members of the safeguarding groups confronted Morgan at his home, where officers seized electronic devices.
A subsequent search uncovered a disturbing collection of indecent images of children, including photographs depicting girls aged between one and 14 years old engaged in sadistic sexual activities.
At Edinburgh’s sheriff court, Morgan appeared for sentencing after previously admitting to charges of sending sexually explicit messages and possessing indecent images of children.
Prosecutor Rosie Cook detailed that Morgan had used the alias ‘Danny’ and had engaged in a sexualized conversation with the decoy from May to October 2019.
The court heard that Morgan’s messages included explicit images and videos, which he deleted after sending.
The decoy, acting on behalf of the police, also revealed that Morgan had sent images of his erect penis and masturbating, which he quickly removed from his device.
In total, police found 59 indecent images of children stored across two mobile phones recovered from Morgan’s flat.
The severity of his actions was acknowledged by Sheriff Daniel Kelly, who emphasized the gravity of the offences.
Morgan was sentenced to 22 months in prison and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for a decade.
Additionally, his name will be forwarded to Scottish Ministers for inclusion on a list of individuals barred from working with children or vulnerable adults in the future.
Morgan pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including sending sexually explicit messages to a person he believed was a 13-year-old girl, between June 22 and October 6, 2019.
He also admitted to possessing indecent images of children during the same period.
The case highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement and safeguarding groups to combat online child exploitation and protect vulnerable individuals from predatory behavior.
