A Newmains truck driver was jailed for two years last week after being caught in a sting by paedophile hunters.
Craig Edgeler sent online messages of a sexual nature to a person he thought was a 12-year-old girl.
The recipient was actually an adult member of Children’s Warriors, an organisation that tracks down and exposes paedophiles.
Edgeler, 51, of Devine Grove, appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and admitted sending indecent messages and an explicit image over a three-month period last year.
The court heard group members confronted him at his home in June and streamed it live on Facebook.
Edgeler has been in custody since his arrest then.
He has previous convictions of a sexual nature dating back to between 1988 and 2007.
His solicitor, Gerry McGuire, said he was “realistic”, given his record, that he would be spending more time in prison.
Mr McGuire said married Edgeler had endured a difficult childhood and spent time in care.
He added: “To his credit, he has managed to hold down employment for most of his adult life.
“He is unsure of his relationship with his wife when he is released from custody, but hopes to have contact with her.”
Sheriff Alasdair MacFadyen told Edgeler he had sent “graphic” messages to the ‘girl’ and his offending behaviour had “escalated” when he then sent her an indecent image.
The sheriff stated: “These serious charges are aggravated by your record.
“You are assessed by a social worker as being at high risk of further sexual offending.
“There is an absence of remorse.”
Referring to a criminal justice social work report, the sheriff said Edgeler had spoken of his own experiences as a youngster.
He added: “You cast yourself as the victim and downplay your role as perpetrator.”
The sheriff imposed a two-year jail sentence, but backdated this to June 15.
Edgeler was placed on the sex offenders’’ register for 10 years.
