http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/Published Date: 10 March 2009
A MIDDLE-AGED man posed as a teenage boy to lure young girls into internet friendships before begging them to strip in front of a webcam.
Paul Quinn, 41, managed to convince one 15-year-old to take her clothes off and begged another aged 16 to do the same.
Although the girls had never seen him, one was able to identify him by a Celtic FC tattoo he boasted about.
And when police raided his Midlothian home they found a huge haul of child pornography on his computers – including video clips saved from the girls' webcams.
Today at Edinburgh Sheriff Court Quinn admitted possession of indecent photographs of children.
He also admitted making indecent pictures as well as two charges relating to pestering the two youngsters.
Fiscal depute Melanie Ward told the court how Quinn signed up to a social networking website and designed a fake profile for himself in September 2007.
She said he claimed his name was Paul Wilson and that he was aged just 18 years old.
Under this bogus identity he struck-up friendships with teenage girls before asking them to strip in front of webcams.
Miss Ward said: "On a number of occasions he asked her to remove her clothing.
"He did not show her who he was and having been repeatedly asked to do so, although she was very uncomfortable she did on one occasion do it (strip)."
Disturbed, the young girl came forward to police after becoming concerned at the demands he was making of her.
Although Quinn had never told the girl his real name or his age, Miss Ward said the youngster had learned certain information about him which helped police to identify him.
She said this included a Celtic tattoo on his arm.
Miss Ward said police were able to trace Quinn and in November last year they raided his Windsor Square home in Penicuik.
A total of four hard drives were seized and examined and officers found 553 still images of children aged between six and 10 years old, as well as 85 video clips.
Some of the files recovered were rated at the highest level on the scale police use to measure depravity.
And some of the clips turned out to be his internet encounters with youngsters.
Miss Ward added: "Some of the items were in fact created by him through his webcam and these are him having direct contact with persons under the age of 16."
His solicitor, Nigel Bruce, said his client was not "grooming" the girls and did not intend to meet them.
He added that Quinn, who was previously jailed over similar offences, insists he has a "problem" that needs to be dealt with.
Sheriff Elizabeth Jarvie QC deferred sentence for background reports and Quinn will return to court next month.
Quinn was placed on the sex offenders register and held in custody after no application for bail was made.
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