Man who arranged to meet 'schoolgirl' for sex at Edinburgh Waverley forced to move house after protest
A road sweeper who arranged to meet a young schoolgirl for sex has been forced to move after local residents protested outside his home.
Robert Stewart, 54, sent the teenage child sick online sexual messages and an indecent image after making contact with an online profile in September last year.
Stewart then travelled to Waverley railway station in Edinburgh in the hope of meeting up with the 14-year-old for sexual purposes the following month. But instead of meeting the youngster the council worker was confronted by several members of paedophile hunter group ASA Scotland who had been using adult decoys to snare online predators.
The hunter group live streamed the internet sting to their Facebook page which has been viewed by more than 44,000 social media users and attracted around 700 comments.
Stewart is seen on the footage being questioned by the hunter group for around 50 minutes outside the capital station before being led away by police officers and later arrested and charged.
The road worker was subsequently forced to move from his flat in Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, after a mob gathered to protest at his presence and vandalised the property.He pleaded guilty to three sexual offences including sending a sexual image when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last month and he returned to the dock for sentencing on Tuesday.
Solicitor Ms McDonald said her client, who has worked for Midlothian Council for more than 20 years, has a long standing alcohol dependency and is “well aware this offence meets the custody threshold”.
Ms McDonald said Stewart’s former home had been vandalised after a group of locals had protested after finding out about his offending.
Sheriff Robert Fife said: “As you are well aware these are very serious charges. I have had very careful regard to the full social work report and your personal circumstances.
“Clearly the threshold for custody is met but in this case I have decided not to impose a custodial sentence but to impose a direct alternative to one of imprisonment.
“If you do not comply with the order I am going to impose you will be going to prison for 21 months, do you understand that?”
Stewart, now of Bilston, Midlothian, was placed under the supervision of the social work department for two years and ordered to carry out the maximum term of 300 hours of unpaid work in the community.
He was also told to attend sessions with the online sex offenders rehabilitation organisation CISSO and was placed on the sex offenders register for five years.
Stewart pleaded guilty to sending sexual written communication, an indecent image and arranging to meet the child at Waverley train station, Edinburgh, all between September 24 and October 1 last year.