A Rosyth man who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old girl after showering her with gifts has been sentenced to offender supervision.
Craig Hamilton sent the youngster naked images of himself and urged her to reciprocate.
The 19-year-old asked the girl “will you marry me?” in a Snapchat message that was opened by her mother.
Hamilton appeared at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for sentencing, having previously pled guilty to sexually assaulting the girl by penetration at addresses in Fife, on various occasions between April 2021 and January last year.
Sheriff James Williamson placed Hamilton on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
The sheriff also made him subject to offender supervision for the same time period as part of a community payback order.
Specific conditions of the order include Hamilton not knowingly being in the company of under-16s unless approved by a supervising officer and informing the officer of any associations or intimate relationships he enters.
He will also be required to undertake the Moving Forward Making Changes treatment programme for sex offenders.
Sheriff Williamson warned Hamilton any failure to comply would likely result in custody.
Defence lawyer David Cranston said Hamilton wants to embrace the community payback order.
Snapchat messages
The court heard previously how Hamilton met the child after offering to do gardening work for her mother.
He texted the woman offering to take her daughter out.
On another occasion, he bought her a bottle of perfume after meeting her on a trip to Dunfermline.
He also gave her a nail kit.
The mum later discovered Hamilton had also been messaging the girl directly.
Fiscal depute Alistair McDermid said: “The complainer’s mother opened Snapchat and read the unopened message, which was from a number named ‘best friend’.
“It showed a picture of a man’s legs and said ‘Will you marry me?’ with a ring emoji.
“Later that morning she challenged her daughter about the messages but she denied anything was going on.”
Asked offender to stop
Shortly afterwards, the girl told her mother that Hamilton had touched her sexually.
The woman confronted the then-17-year-old.
Mr McDermid said: “She asked him explicitly why he was sending messages to her 11-year-old.
“He apologised and asked if she was going to tell his mother.”
The woman contacted police and the girl told them in an interview Hamilton had touched her several times, despite telling him to stop.
She also said that he had placed her hand on his penis.
Hamilton, of Burnside Street, sent her naked photos and asked her to do the same, which she did.
When arrested, he told officers: “It was wrong and it shouldn’t have happened.”
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