Child abuse pictures fiend hid online chats from social worker

A convicted sex offender has been slated by a sheriff for hiding his online chats with a mystery woman.

Jason McKinnon, 33, struck up a relationship with the woman after bumping into her in Paisley and began messaging her on Facebook.

Paisley Sheriff Court heard McKinnon, who was busted with indecent images of children being sexually abused, then deleted his internet history to hide it from his supervising social worker.

He had been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years, placed under mandatory supervision, handed unpaid work and ordered that his internet use by restricted and closely monitored by the authorities from November 2018.

This sentence was given him as an alternative to prison.

McKinnon, of Beauly Drive, in Paisley, appeared in the dock before Sheriff Craig Harris where he admitted breaching the court order.

Defence agent Rhona Lynch said McKinnon realised he had made a “foolish” decision in wiping his internet history on May 21 this year.

She said: “He accepts there has been a breach of the order and as an explanation he realises he made foolish decision.

“He lost his job after the offence. He was a supervisor in a supermarket.

“But he did complete unpaid work and has engaged with the programme.

“But he is very concerned and deeply regrets not being honest with the supervising officer.”

Papers reveal that McKinnon pleaded guilty to the possession of indecent images of children between July 23, and July 31, 2017.

He also admitted having online chats with the Paisley woman but concealing this from the social work department in May this year.

Sheriff Harris told him: “You have breached the conduct requirement of this order by having contact with this woman on the internet and not declaring that with those supervising you.

“It was contact with an adult female and it shouldn’t have been deleted. It shouldn’t have been hidden from the supervising officer.

“You were handed this order an alternative to prison and you have breached it.”

He added an extra year’s supervision to the order and handed McKinnon another 150 hours of unpaid work to be done on six months.

The sheriff warned him if he breaches the order again he is likely to be jailed.