Nursery chef caught sending sexual messages to 'schoolgirl' during undercover police sting
The ‘child’s’ account turned out to belong to an undercover police officer
A nursery school chef who was caught in an undercover police sting set up to snare online paedophiles has avoided a jail sentence.
Andrew Wood, 45, contacted an online account in the name of a child named ‘Maisie’ and began sending her disgusting sexual comments and images.
During the sordid contact the cook begged ‘Maisie’ to send him videos of her performing a solo sex act despite being told she was only 13-years-old on several occasions.
Wood also asked the child about her past sexual experiences, encouraged her to undress and send him naked pictures all over a four week period last year.
But instead of speaking to a young schoolgirl Wood was in fact in contact with a police officer who had set up the social media account as part of an undercover operation to catch online predators.
Wood, who has previously worked at local nursery schools and care homes, was arrested and charged following a police raid on his home in Penicuik, Midlothian, in October last year.
He pleaded guilty to offences of attempting to cause a child to view sexual images and engaging in written sexual communication with a child when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, June 18.
Fiscal depute Rachel Hill told the court Wood first made contact with the ‘child’s’ social media account using an online application that quickly deletes the messages in July last year.
He was told the girl was only 13-years-old and within days he moved the contact between the pair to the Snapchat app.
The court was told Wood had asked the child “are you a naughty girl?” and had asked her to send him images of herself in a state of undress.
The cook then asked her to sent him a video of her carrying out a sex act.
The court was told Wood also sent the child “multiple images” of a sexual nature during the sordid contact.
Police officers carried out a raid on his home in October last year and he had “spoken freely” during an interview claiming he had no sexual interest in children.
Wood returned to the dock for sentencing on Friday, July 31, where Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss said: “This was serious offending and the custody threshold is certainly crossed.
“But given the information in the report there does seem to me to be an appropriate alternative to a custodial sentence and my view is to impose a community payback order.”
Wood was placed on a social work supervision order for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
He had his name added to the sex offenders register for two years and must attend sessions with the sexual offences rehabilitation programme CISSO.
Sheriff Auchincloss also imposed a conduct requirement banning Wood from having contact with anyone under 18 along with restrictions on his computer and internet use.
Lawyer James McMacken, defending, said: “It is fair to say Mr Wood has been contrite and remorseful and has acknowledged this is a not a victimless crime.
“He has expressed regret and disgust at his actions.”