A Fife paedophile who invited a “12-year-old girl” to sit on his lap while he dressed as Santa has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.
Neil Rawlinson believed he was speaking to a pre-teen but was actually messaging an adult from the group Forbidden Scotland.
He engaged in sexualised chat before sending an image of his penis.
Shortly before Christmas, he asked the “child” if she had written a letter to Father Christmas, adding he could get a Santa suit so she could sit on his lap.
The group exposed the 69-year-old in a Christmas Eve sting.
On a previous court appearance from custody, he had asked to remain behind bars, stating: “If I was out I might go back to hiding myself away.”
‘Ostracised’ by friends and family
Rawlinson, of Baird Crescent, Leven, earlier admitted sending sexually explicit messages and an image of his naked penis to a person he believed to be a child under 13 from his home address between November 11 and December 18 2021.
He further admitted taking or making indecent images of children between July 2018 and December 24 2021.
A plea of not guilty to possession of child abuse images was accepted by the Crown.
Solicitor David McLaughlin, defending at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, told the court social workers would work with Rawlinson to “mitigate his risk of future offending”.
He added his client has lost contact with his family and been “ostracised” by his friends so was unlikely to come into contact with children.
Sheriff Robert More took account of private information in “extremely candid” social work reports when sentencing.
He placed Rawlinson on a three-year supervision order and told him to take part in the Moving Forward: Making Changes programme.
He additionally banned him from having any intentional contact with children under 16 and placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for three years.
Sick messages and confrontation
Fiscal depute Joanne Ritchie previously told the court the woman behind the fake child’s profile had set up accounts on various platforms.
Rawlinson contacted her on Wink on November 11 2021 with the message: “Hi Beth, Hope you are as good as you look’.”
When she replied giving her age as only 12, he replied: “Don’t mind that as long as you don’t mind chatting to an older man.”
Rawlinson asked her questions about her school life, then said he would love to meet her and wanted to carry out sexual activities with her.
Before sending a picture of his genitals, Rawlinson wrote: “Strictly speaking you shouldn’t have seen a penis at 12 but you might see one in biology so what’s the difference.”
He added: “I’m naked because I want to be naked with you”.
His Santa message came shortly before he was confronted at home by group members.
Rawlinson later told police he thought the fake account was that of a 21-year-old woman engaging in “age play”.
On searching Rawlinson’s devices, police found a number of category B and C indecent images of girls aged 11 to 15, all of them inaccessible, as well as other sick material featuring underage girls.
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