SCOTTISH MAN AVOIDS JAIL AFTER PAYING UNDERAGE GIRLS FOR NUDE PHOTOS
A man identified as Martin Murray has avoided jail after paying underage girls hundreds of pounds for naked photos.Court proceedings revealed that Murray, aged 49 and residing in Coalburn, befriended two girls on Snapchat and solicited explicit images from them.
He reportedly told one girl she had a "really pretty" face and then demanded "the real stuff," leading her to send nude photographs.
Murray admitted to persuading the girls to send him intimate images between October and November 2020 and used the cash to buy clothes, with one girl reportedly earning about £600 from him.
The prosecutor stated that the first girl, originally from the south of England, knew her actions were wrong but continued due to the money.
The second girl also sent images after cash was sent via PayPal, with Murray asking for pictures of her in her bra and in the nude, sending heart emojis in response to her photos.
Court documents indicated Murray's belief that the girls were 16 years old, although he denied actively asking for naked pictures.
He was sentenced to a three-year supervision order, must complete a sex offender treatment program, and will be subject to a six-month electronic tagging order and a five-year sex offender registry.
The judge considered the case a lesser offense, noting Murray's lack of criminal history and the context of the COVID-19 lockdown, emphasizing rehabilitation possibilities rather than immediate imprisonment.
