Sex message dad planned to meet girl, 13, at Edinburgh Castle

George Wilson bombarded the girl, called Sophie, with suggestive comments after contacting the youngster on an internet chat site last year.

Wilson, 34, asked the youngster a series of sexually-charged questions and later posted “You want me to kiss you?” and “You look sexy in yours [picture]”.

But after arranging to meet up with the girl in the capital’s city centre Wilson was confronted by members of paedophile hunter group Groom Resistors Scotland.

The group had set up the fake online account in a bid to snare adults who attempt to indecently communicate with children.

The group challenged Wilson about his online contact with Sophie and live streamed the meeting to more than 3000 viewers on their Facebook page.

Wilson, from Restalrig, Edinburgh, pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit messages to a child when he appeared at the city’s sheriff court last week.

Sheriff Alistair Noble placed Wilson on the Sex Offenders Register and deferred sentence to next month.

Prosecutor Jack Caster told the court Wilson contacted an online profile in the name of Sophie on an internet chat room site on July 29, 2019.

Wilson had the user name of ‘Leith Guy’ and stated his name was George and he was 32-years-old and lived in Edinburgh.

The adult decoy behind Sophie’s account replied “she was 13-years-old” and that Wilson continued to communicate with her.

The chats then moved to the WhatsApp messaging service where Wilson sent the indecent comments to the youngster.

Mr Caster said: “The accused and [the girl] arranged to meet in Edinburgh city centre on August 9, 2019.

“The accused asked her to meet him near Edinburgh Castle at around 12pm. He explained he would be wearing blue Adidas All-star trainers.”

Members of the group recognised Wilson due to his footwear and confronted the dad-of-one before live-streaming the encounter on their Facebook page.

Defence agent Peter O’Neill said this was his client’s first offence and he would reserve his mitigation to the sentencing hearing.

Wilson pleaded guilty to sending sexually explicit messages for the purposes of humiliating, distressing or alarming a person on various social media platforms between July 29 and August 9, 2019.

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