A retired RAF warrant officer who coerced a 10-year-old girl into engaging with him on the internet for his sexual pleasure has narrowly avoided a jail sentence.
Steven McLaren, 54, of Campbell Crescent, Cupar, admitted intentionally making sexual communications to a girl under the age of 13 with the intention of obtaining sexual gratification.
Cupar Sheriff Court previously heard how he secretly enticed the girl to chat to him online during a meeting with her father.
Defence solicitor David Bell said McLaren, who had an unblemished 37-year career in the RAF and served in Afghanistan, recognised the offence was “a serious matter” and that he took full responsibility for his actions.
He added McLaren had been suicidal when the offence first came to light but said those feelings had now passed.
Sheriff Macnair said he felt the public would be “better protected” by imposing a supervision order rather than a custodial sentence.
“It is clear you had certainly not ruled out future contact had you not been caught, so it was fortunate for the child that you were caught,” he told McLaren.
“Even the limited contact you had had a traumatic effect on your victim.”
He placed McLaren on a supervision order for three years.
As well as the order, McLaren was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and was told to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work and pay £1,000 in compensation to his victim’s family.
Sheriff Macnair also imposed a 10-year sexual offences protection order with conditions that McLaren does not have any contact with a child under the age of 16 unless supervised by an adult over 21 who is aware of his conviction.
He is also not permitted to access any social networking site or have any online contact with any child under the age of 16.
McLaren was told he must provide the Chief Constable of Police Scotland with the IP addresses of all internet and electronic devices as well.