A sex offender who was stung by vigilantes trying to meet children in Dundee has been locked up after repeatedly breaching a strict court order.
Matthew Sayers was spared a prison sentence in May 2020 after travelling to the city in the hope of meeting two children in January that year.
Sayers had previously sent an explicit picture himself to a vigilante posing as the youngsters.
However, Sayers has now been jailed after repeatedly breaching a community payback order along with stringent conduct requirements.
Deleted history
Dundee Sheriff Court was told how Sayers, who has mental health issues, was caught with more than one mobile phone and had deleted the history of one of the phones.
The 33-year-old also bought a smart TV without telling his supervising officers and failed to perform any of his 170 hours of unpaid work.
Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC said: “I can’t let this order continue. This is the third breach of the order.
“I’ve also been told by the social work department that there is a further breach pending. These conduct requirements are there for a purpose.
“These were sexual offences involving children and I have reached the conclusion that this order is just not workable.”
Vigilante sting
Sayers, of Hyvot Mill Drive, Edinburgh, was confronted at Seagate bus station by members of Child Protectors Scotland after travelling there to meet two “children”.
Prosecutor Marie Irvine said previously: “The accused made an agreement to travel to meet ‘Lucie’ and ‘Rachel’ in January 2020.
“On Kik (a digital messaging app) he messaged to say: ‘I’m in bed wishing you were here’.”
The court then heard that Sayers sent both ‘Rachel’ and ‘Lucie’ an indecent image of himself.
Sayers arrived at the bus station at around 2.30pm on January 11 where he was met by the vigilante.
He previously pleaded guilty to attempting to send sexual written communications to two people – pretending to be “Rachel” and “Lucie” respectively – for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or causing humiliation, distress or alarm.
Sayers also admitted meeting or communicating with individuals not believed to have attained the age of 16, and attempting to meet with them with the intent of engaging in unlawful sexual activity.
He returned to the dock on Wednesday after previously admitting to breaching his community payback order.
Sheriff Drummond jailed Sayers for 14 months and placed him on the sex offender’s register for 10 years.
Sayers was also made subject to a sexual offences prevention order for the next five years.
