November 2015 Convicted paedophile who adopted false identities on Facebook is jailed A sex offender who adopted false identities online, flouting orders meant to protect the public, has been jailed. Malcolm McRae, 47, was jailed for two-and-a-half years for making and distributing indecent images of children in 2013. After his release, he used the name Matthew and bogus surnames, Teesside Crown Courtheard yesterday. Using one different name, he sent Facebook friend requests to two members of a family he was not supposed to contact in August this year. He never registered this made-up identity with the police, breaching sex offender notification requirements. He set up a second Facebook account under another alias, said prosecutor Rachel Masters. In his home police found a receipt for a phone which McRae hid from the authorities using a third fake name to “cover his tracks”, although that name was known to the police. He admitted he got rid of the phone by throwing it into the river. This broke three terms of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO), which stipulated he had to make such devices available for police inspection and banned him from deleting internet histories. McRae, of Portman Street, Gresham, Middlesbrough , admitted the four breaches. He had a previous sexual offending conviction relating to grooming in Scotland from 1989. Gary Wood, defending, said: “He’s been deceitful. His intent was not to commit sexual offences against children.” He said McRae had innocent and “sentimental reasons” for his actions as he struggled to cope. He added McRae had been the victim of abuse in the past, for which he received counselling. McRae accepted he had a serious problem and that “his behaviour and way of thinking is not acceptable”. Judge Howard Crowson told McRae: “You’ve got a very disturbing record including some predatory offences against children. “You spent quite a bit of time grooming some boys in Scotland. “An order was made to try to reduce or to eliminate the risks that you might pose to children in future. “Instead you adopted some false identities. You acquired a mobile phone. When it was discovered you destroyed it.” He said he understood the reasons McRae put forward for his behaviour, but the court was “bound to be a bit sceptical”. He added: “The whole purpose of that order is that the court and the public feel sure that the risk is being managed. “If you breach it, it’s not being managed.” McRae was jailed for one year. October 2013 Spennymoor man with sexual interest in underage girls jailed for 30 months A MAN made contact with a young girl on an internet chat room site, urging her to send a naked picture of herself to him, a court heard. Malcolm McRae, 45, then referred her to others in a file share site and, “very quickly” she received a number of similar requests from adult men taking an interest in her, Durham Crown Court was told. John Gillette, prosecuting, said it came to police attention and as a result of inquiries officers visited McRae’s home, in South Street, Spennymoor, County Durham, on July 18. His computer equipment was seized and examination revealed it contained a total of 1,506 indecent images of children, across the range of severity, some of which he had forwarded to others with similar interests. Mr Gillette said McRae was “very candid” in his police interview, accepting he had the images and sending some to about 100 other people. “He readily accepted being aroused by such images, and having contact with people all over the world,” he said. “They were aged 13 upwards, 75 or so, mostly girls, but some boys as well. “He would chat with them in what was a sexualised manner, but he claimed that only if he thought they were aged 18 or over. “He was also quite candid about having fantasies of having sex with children aged ten upwards to 16.” Mr Gillette said McRae was also “frank” about a previous conviction for a sexual offence involving a 10-year-old boy, dating from 1989 when he lived in Scotland, for which he was jailed for three years. Scott Smith, mitigating, said: “He’s 45 and very open and honest about the sexual attraction to post and pre-pubescent females. “He was unusually co-operative with police and it’s acknowledged this offence has crossed the custody threshold.” McRae admitted 14 counts of making an indecent image of a child, one of possession and three of distribution of such material. Jailing him for two-and-a-half years, Recorder Ian Atherton told McRae that the case was “aggravated” by his previous sexual offence, albeit dating back 24 years. He ordered forfeiture of McRae’s computer equipment, and made him subject of registration as a sex offender and a sexual offences prevention order (Sopo), both indefinitely. The Sopo restricts his future use of the internet and contact with anyone aged 16 and under.