A SEX offender caught sending indecent messages and pornographic links to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl has dodged jail.

Irvine man William Falconer, 35, whose address was listed as Princes Street, Ardrossan, was placed under supervision with no unpaid work and ordered to register as a sex offender for three years.

He will also have to undergo treatment for drinking after alcohol and social isolation was blamed for his perverse offending.

Falconer was busted by authorities after being stung by an adult posing as a child before admitting the offences at his address in Irvine’s Clark Drive between March 21 and March 28 this year.

He returned to Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week [November 17] after admitting attempting to cause an older child to participate in sexual activity, look at sexual images and communicate indecently.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald:

Falconer admitted intentionally, for the the purpose of sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing, or alarming a person he believed to be a child – who was in fact an adult – after he sent sexual communications to him as well as attempting to engage them in sexual activity.

Her Majesty’s Advocate’s indictment state he sent written messages of a sexual nature, as well as links to pornography and encouraged them to perform a sex act.

Defence Solicitor Simon Brown said his client was aware of the serious charges and nature of the offence but emphasised Falconer’s guilty plea at an early stage.

He told the court it was a ‘complex matter’, adding his client had education difficulties and had been under some ‘social isolation’ and drinking alcohol.

Ardrossan and Saltcoats Herald:

Sheriff Shirley Foran told Falconer that his behaviour was ‘borderline’ for custody but gave ‘credit to acknowledging his guilt and “not hiding matters to the author” of his social work report.

She sentenced him to a Community Payback Order [CPO] with three years supervision and a programme requirement to protect the public following his conduct.

He will have to take part in the Moving Forward and Making Changes programme aimed at addressing offenders thoughts towards children and engage with North Ayrshire’s alcohol and drug recovery service.

He will be allowed no unsupervised contact with under 16s, is not allowed to enter parks without permission and surrender information regarding his online use to officers with no software to hide his activity.

He will also be made to register as a sex offender for three years and report to the police station. He will face a review of his conduct in February next year.