A supermarket worker, sacked after sending a 13-year-old a sexual video from Morrisons toilets, has avoided a jail sentence.
Henry Cole sent sickening sexual messages, images and video to two different children on Snapchat.
He told one 13-year-old he wanted to have sex with her on the bonnet of his car, and sent her an explicit video of himself in the toilets of Morrisons supermarket in Peterhead, where he worked at the time.
And Cole, 21, who was also arrested at the supermarket, has now appeared back in the dock at Aberdeen Sheriff Court to be sentenced over the matter.
Cole lost job but not his freedom
Defence agent Stuart Flowerdew said his client had no previous convictions.
He added: “The commission of this offending has impacted heavily in as much as he’s lost his employment and no longer plays rugby.
“People have isolated themselves from him. A restriction of liberty order may increase the isolation.”
Mr Flowerdew said court-ordered social work indicated there was an “educational path” available in terms of sentencing.
Cole, of South Mains of Birness, Ellon, admitted coercing a 13-year-old into looking at a sexual image and communicating indecently with her.
And he also admitted a second charge, of intentionally sending a sexual written communication to a 13-year-old girl, intentionally cause her to look at a sexual image.
Sheriff Philip Mann handed Cole a community payback order as a direct alternative to custody.
Girl, 13, ‘disgusted’ by image from Cole
He imposed two years of supervision and made him subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offences Act for the same period.
Cole was also ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work.
Fiscal depute Colin Neilson previously told the court Cole first sent a Snapchat message to a 13-year-old girl at 9pm on June 20 last year, stating he was “in bed and bored”.
He sent an image of his bare upper body along with the comment “I’m in bed bored help me”, followed by another image of his genitals.
Mr Neilson said: “The complainer felt disgusted by this. She took a screenshot of both images to show an adult.
“The accused blocked her as a result.”
On the same day, Cole also added and began messaging another 13-year-old girl on Snapchat, putting “X”s on his messages.
Child ‘felt pressured’ into sending pictures
He also sent her an image of his genitals while sitting on his bed.
Mr Neilson said: “In the afternoon of June 21, the accused sent further Snapchat messages to the complainer saying he was alone at work.”
Cole then sent the child an explicit image and a video of him engaging in sexual activity “while he was in the toilets at Morrisons supermarket”, which was his place of work at the time.
He then sent two further similar videos around 11pm when he was in bed.
Cole asked the child to send him sexual images of herself, which she did, and when he repeated his requests she “felt pressured into sending more pictures”.
When Cole asked her to send him a sexual video of herself she refused.
Mr Neilson said: “Around two or three days later, the accused sent her a message saying he wanted to have sex with her on the bonnet of his car.
“She said she did not want to do this.”
He then sent her another image of his genitals.
The fiscal depute added: “In the evening of August 4 2020, the accused was arrested at Morrisons, Queen Street, Peterhead.”
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