Neil Ross, 31, from Glasgow, pled guilty to charges of lewd and
libidinous behaviour and was sentenced yesterday at Alloa Sheriff
Court. He has been placed on the sex offenders' register.
It is said to be the first time that someone has been convicted
of sexual offences committed against a person in a different room
to the abuser.
Ross, a father of two, joined an internet chat room where,
pretending to be 19, he began exchanging messages with the girl,
who has not been named. According to The Scotsman, Ross "performed
a sex act on himself as he watched the girl undress and pose in a
sexually explicit manner via a live web link."
Scotland does not yet have a law that specifically counters
threats posed to children by the internet, although the Scottish
Executive is currently pushing through The Protection of Children
and Prevention of Sexual Offences (Scotland) Bill.
This will create a new offence of sexual "grooming" of a person
under 16 by an adult aged 18 or over.
A grooming offence already exists in England and Wales,
contained in the Sexual Offences Act of 2003.
