PAISLEY PERVERT GORDON MUIR CAUGHT BY PAEDOPHILE HUNTERS AFTER SICK MESSAGES TO 'SCHOOLGIRL' IN PAISLEY
In May 2021, a disturbing case unfolded in Paisley involving Gordon Muir, a man who was caught in a sting operation conducted by a group of paedophile hunters.The incident took place while Muir was in his garden on Ben More Drive, where he was working alongside his son.
Unbeknownst to him, three members of the vigilante group had been tracking his online activity after he engaged in a series of highly inappropriate messages.
Initially, Muir believed he was communicating with a young girl named Lucy, who he thought was a schoolgirl.
However, the individual he was messaging was actually an adult woman working with the group to catch predators.
Over a span of four months, Muir exchanged dozens of messages via social media and the dating app Skout.
His messages were filled with disturbing content, including repeated questions about what Lucy was wearing, attempts to discuss sexual topics, and encouragement for her to touch herself.
At one point, he even suggested she come to his home in Paisley's Ben More Drive to help him in the garden, offering to pick her up himself.
Gordon Muir, aged 61 and a bricklayer by profession, appeared at Paisley Sheriff Court to face charges related to his online conduct.
The court was informed that his first contact with 'Lucy' was made in March of the previous year.
Despite the app listing her age as 81, her photograph depicted a young teenage girl, which raised suspicions.
The account was actually operated by a woman working with the paedophile hunters, designed to lure and catch individuals attempting to contact minors.
Procurator Fiscal Depute David McDonald explained that Muir's initial message was, “You don’t look 81,” to which 'Lucy' responded, “I’m really 14.” The group had deliberately used childish language and misspelled words to give the impression that she was a young girl.
Muir claimed to be a bricklayer who built houses and owned a boxer dog.
He invited her to his house in Paisley's Ben More Drive to help in the garden and offered to apply lotion to her to prevent sunburn.
Throughout their conversations, he persistently asked her what she was wearing.
After a period of inactivity, during which Muir told 'Lucy' he didn’t want her to feel abandoned, he resumed messaging her in May 2021.
He claimed to have been in hospital with Covid-19, which explained his absence.
It was during this renewed contact that Muir’s messages became increasingly sexual in nature, despite 'Lucy' repeatedly reminding him she was only 14.
McDonald stated that Muir asked her if her mother had a boyfriend and whether she could hear her parents having sex.
He also discussed being spanked for being naughty and asked her to send a picture of herself, complimenting her appearance.
Despite her protests that she was not an adult, Muir continued to send inappropriate messages, encouraging her to explore her body and describing acts of a sexual nature.
He did not explicitly say he was going to do anything to her but engaged in generalised conversations of a sexual nature.
The decoy group, after gathering evidence, shared screenshots of the messages with other members and coordinated to confront Muir.
On July 20, last year, three members of the group approached Muir while he was working in his garden.
They asked him about 'Lucy,' and he responded, “I spoke with her last week.” At that moment, Muir’s son, who was also present, quickly got into his car and drove off as the confrontation unfolded.
During questioning, Muir initially denied knowing the girl was underage, claiming he thought she was 18.
However, he was quickly shown screenshots where 'Lucy' explicitly stated she was 14.
Police arrived shortly after and arrested Muir, taking him to Greenock Police Office for questioning.
During the interview, he admitted to chatting with 'Lucy' but claimed it was just casual 'chit-chat' and not sexual.
When shown the messages, he responded with “no comment” to questions about sending inappropriate content.
Muir, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to charges of sending messages to a person he believed was under 16 for sexual gratification and attempting to entice a minor to perform sex acts.
The court was told that he had engaged in conversations of a sexual nature and encouraged a girl under 16 to explore her body.
Sheriff Colin Pettigrew emphasized the seriousness of the offence and warned Muir about the gravity of his actions.
Sentencing was deferred until May 28 to allow for social work reports and a Restriction of Liberty Order (ROLO) assessment.
Muir was also placed on the sex offenders’ register and will return to court for sentencing on the scheduled date.
