A 27-year-old Dunfermline man sent a picture of his penis and a video of himself carrying out a sex act to someone he thought was a 12-year-old girl.
James Waite asked the “child” – who was actually an adult decoy – if she “liked his willy”.
In other sexually explicit messages he asked her for sex and requested she send him naked images of herself.
Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard more than 500 pages of messages between Waite and the decoy were later passed to police.
Waite appeared in court to pled guilty to attempting to cause a person he believed to be a 12-year-old girl to look at a sexual image by sending pictures of his genitals and a video of himself carrying out a sex act.
He also admitted attempting to communicate indecently with a young child.
The offending took place between February 14 and April 10 last year.
Explicit conversations
Procurator fiscal depute Laura McManus told the court the adult decoy, a 37-year-old woman, accepted a Facebook friend request from Waite and he struck up a conversation on Messenger.
The fiscal depute said the decoy clearly stated her age as 12 years old “within the first five messages” and Waite, of Dundonald Road, acknowledged he was “too old for her” and they “can be friends”.
The court heard the conversation moved onto WhatsApp and on multiple occasions, Waite requested naked pictures and asked her to “keep it a secret”.
The chat turned more explicit on Waite’s side and he sent an intimate picture and a video of himself in a sex act.
Arrangements were made by the adult decoy for other paedophile hunters to meet and confront Waite in a “sting” at a bus stop in Hilton Road, Rosyth.
The fiscal depute said Waite was confronted by someone who streamed the encounter live on Facebook.
Ms McManus said the paedophile hunter asked numerous questions but Waite did not say anything other than: “It was only one child I had been talking to”.
Police arrived and arrested Waite and officers were made aware he needed an appropriate adult to attend.
‘Assault’
The fiscal depute said police were provided with messages between Waite and the decoy, adding: “There are over 500 pages of correspondence”.
Ms McManus read out a summary of the nature of the messages, which included Waite telling the decoy he would like to have sex with her and others going into more explicit detail.
Another exchange saw Waite and the decoy talking about and going together to McDonald’s and the seaside.
Defence lawyer Calum Harris referred to a psychologist’s report noting his client’s significant learning difficulties.
He has never attended a mainstream school, although he does have a full-time job in a supermarket.
Mr Harris said Waite, a first offender, “does not accept he has unmanageable attraction to girls of a younger age”.
The lawyer said: “In this particular case he accepts his conduct was not only illegal but morally atrocious and is very upset by the effects on himself and his wider family”.
Mr Harris said he viewed the Facebook Live video and suggested the confrontation was “fairly aggressive” and said it is clear from police statements his client was the victim of “some form of assault” by males pertaining to be from a hunter group.
Sheriff Charles Macnair deferred sentence until June 16 to obtain background reports and placed Waite on the Sex Offenders Register meantime.
His bail was also continued.
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