NAIRN MAN SENTENCED TO JAIL FOR ONLINE CHILD SEXUAL COMMUNICATIONS
A Nairn paedophile who contacted a decoy pretending to be a child and made inappropriate sexual comments has been sentenced to a year in jail.The offender, Harry Croft, 62, believed he was communicating with a 10 or 11-year-old girl and expressed that he found "girls your age group sexy".
He sent messages asking for naked photographs and encouraged obscuring her face to avoid identification.
Croft appeared for sentencing at Inverness Sheriff Court after admitting to charges of sexually communicating with a person he thought was a child under 13 and causing that person to view a sexual image.During the proceedings, it was revealed that Croft's messages were directed at a decoy profile created by a woman seeking to expose individuals seeking contact with children online.
The woman, using the username “offskoolsick”, engaged Croft in conversation, where he made explicit comments such as "if I was closer I would offer to rub and kiss your stomach" and repeatedly asked for nude images.
Despite being reminded of the decoy's age, Croft continued to discuss engaging in sexual activity and sent sexual images.Prior to sentencing, a group visited Croft’s previous residence in Glenelg Gardens, Nairn, and streamed the confrontation on Facebook.
Croft was not at home at the time, but authorities confirmed images sent had been taken inside the property.
He was subsequently arrested by police, with investigations verifying his mobile device was used to send the messages, which had been deleted.
Croft admitted to contacting what he believed was a young girl but denied intentions for physical contact.
The court was informed that Croft was already serving a sentence in England, which would end in March.
Sheriff Sara Matheson sentenced Croft to an additional 12 months imprisonment, backdated to September 8, and ordered him to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
