A 61-year-old Inverness man was arrested for trying to get indecent images from whom he thought was a 12-year-old girl.
The sheriff, Gary Aitken, presided over the case, revealing that Calum Thomson had prior arrests and had twice participated in offender programs. These programs were designed to modify his problematic behaviors.
Thomson appeared at Inverness Sheriff Court, where he confessed to sending the inappropriate messages under the impression he was talking to a girl named ‘Lara.’ He had solicited pictures from her. The incident took place on Snapchat at his residence between April 17 and 18 of the previous year.
Emily Hood, the fiscal depute, detailed the events: Thomson used his real name and inquired if ‘Lara’ liked older men, followed by questions about her clothing and bra size.
The court is scheduled to determine the sentence on April 1, pending the completion of reports and program assessments, specifically the ‘Moving Forward to Change’ program. Sheriff Aitken commented on Thomson’s record, noting his previous involvement in similar programs.
Thomson contested this, claiming he only completed the program once. The sheriff then suggested that prison could be the next step, although a sentence couldn’t be imposed immediately as this was Thomson’s first offense of this nature.
Following the hearing, Thomson was immediately added to the Sex Offenders’ Register.