An agreement to buy alcohol and cigarettes for a 14-year-old girl landed a Blairgowrie man a nine-month spell in prison.
Although James Stephen had originally been happy to take money for his services, the arrangement took a seedy turn when the youngster stopped paying up.
The 52-year-old suggested that in return for the favours he was providing the youngster should begin a sexual relationship with him once she reached the age of 16.
Following an earlier appearance at Perth Sheriff Court, it was revealed Stephen had exchanged text messages with the girl, which started off as drink orders and soon became demands for sex from the accused.
However, unbeknown to him, he had been texting the youngster’s mother, who was concerned to read texts saying, “Give or no more take” and “Right, it’s time for you to perform your side of the bargain, hen”.
Following discussions with her daughter, the woman contacted police and Stephen was questioned, quickly admitting his guilt.
Defence agent Jamie Baxter told the court that his client’s judgement had been affected by his long-standing alcohol problem.
“He should not have gotten himself involved in any arrangements with the complainer, but he did,” he said.
“He accepts that he knew the complainer was under 16 years of age but maintains that he had been told by her that she was 15, shortly to be 16.
“He certainly made inappropriate remarks and behaved in an inappropriate manner, but he did not instigate the relationship.”ScepticalSheriff Lindsay Foulis remained unimpressed by this, telling Mr Baxter that no matter how “precocious” and “mature” the girl may have acted, she was still protected by law.
He was also sceptical of the accused’s alcohol problem being the sole reason for him committing the offence.
Stephen, of James Street, Blairgowrie admitted that between February 1 and May 12, at various supermarkets in the town, he bought alcohol on behalf of a 14-year-old girl.
He also admitted that between the same dates he conducted himself in a disorderly manner, requesting sex from the girl in exchange for alcohol and sending her text messages that were sexually inappropriate.
Sentencing him on Wednesday, Sheriff Foulis hit out at Stephen’s failure to act responsibly, saying, “It may be that you were approached initially to purchase cigarettes on behalf of the complainer and thereafter alcohol.’Bad enough'”The appropriate course for you would have been to refuse for obvious reasons. You didn’t do so and that was bad enough.
“Thereafter you move on and again, in a totally inappropriate course of behaviour which is all too plain to see.”
Stephen was also made the subject of a Sexual Offences Protection Order for 10 years.
It prohibits him from being in a room with a female child under the age of 16 without there being another adult presents, as well as preventing him from communicating in an inappropriate manner with a female child under the age of 16.
His name was also added to the sex offenders register.