A SEX offender who was released on bail after sending two teens explicit messages and images turned up at Newton Stewart days later where he was in contact with four youths.
Marc Black, 34, pleaded guilty to four charges at Dumfries Sheriff Court this week.
Procurator fiscal depute Katie Allen told the court how Black messaged ‘Ellie May’ between May 3-10 last year. However, ‘Ellie May’ was actually a decoy account by a child abuse activist group.
Ms Allen said: “Ellie May told the accused she was at school and was 13. He told her he was 23.
“The accused quickly sent the decoy sexually explicit messages and told her to keep the chats secret. She repeatedly reminded the accused that she was only 13 years old.
“The communication moved to WhatsApp and the accused invited her to stay at his house.
“The accused told her that he would pay for gifts and hotels and told her he was in love with her. He sent her two photographs of an erect penis.
“The decoy told the accused that she only had her mum in her life. The accused told her that ‘he’d be her daddy then’. The accused then told the decoy to leave her window open so he could climb into it.”
Black then messaged another decoy account, again a 13-year-old called ‘Freya’, between May 9 and July 21 last year.
When she told Black her age, Black told her he was 18. He then messaged her to arrange “an overnight stay” with him to have “cuddles”, “not to wear any clothing” and wanted her to “lay on him”.
They continued to chat where Black described sexual acts he wished to carry out on her. He then sent a picture of his face, his erect penis and a video of him performing a sexual act on himself.
Despite the decoy repeatedly reminding Black she was only 13, he told her he would “kidnap her” from her house and then begged her to send him sexual images.
Black was confronted at his then home in Shawhill Road, Annan, by a representative of the child abuse activist team on July 21, with the encounter livestreamed on Facebook.
Police soon arrived and he was arrested, cautioned and charged. He was released with bail conditions not to contact anyone under the age of 16.
However, three days later, Black travelled to Newton Stewart and entered a pub, The Star Inn.
He approached three boys (aged 12, 14 and 16) who were playing darts. Ms Allen added: “A woman was concerned about this and asked him who he was. He replied Marc and that he just wanted to play darts.
“Later on, the three youths left the pub to a bus stop and the accused followed them out of the pub. The accused offered one of the children a cigarette. The woman had then seen the Facebook post about the accused and contacted the police.”
Later on that evening, a 14-year-old girl was walking on Albert Street, Newton Stewart, when she was approached by Black.
Ms Allen added: “He asked her where Aldi was. She told the accused he was walking the wrong direction and that she would show him.
“Whilst walking towards Aldi, the accused asked if she wanted a cigarette.
“At around 10.25 pm, the same woman from the Star Inn pub saw the accused walking by with the girl by his side. She told the girl to get away from the accused. Black was later arrested by police.”
Sheriff Kevin McCallum told Black that his sentencing would be deferred until April 14 for the court to obtain a criminal justice social work report and a risk assessment. There was no motion for bail and he was remanded in custody until his sentencing date.
