Inverness sexual predator targeted teenage boy
A sexual predator who was banned from approaching young boys defied the court order and offered to pay a teenager to perform a sex act on him.
Inverness Sheriff Court was told that Ian Wright (29), was on bail with a special condition prohibiting the contact when he tried to groom the 13 year old and asked for a naked photograph of him.
But Wright, who was in homeless accommodation in Lochalsh Road, Inverness at the time, was jailed for a total of 24 months by Sheriff Sara Matheson who described him as "a high risk." She backdated the sentence to the date of remand, February 12.
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Wright appeared by video link for sentence after a background report had been prepared in which Wright protested his innocence despite having already pleaded guilty.
His solicitor, Marc Dickson, said his client suffered from "anxiety" and had a panic attack during the interview, leading to his denial.
As the sheriff clerk repeated Sheriff Matheson's sentence, which included placing Wright on the Sex Offenders; Register for 10 years, Wright stormed out of the prison video room without waiting to hear the details again.
The court heard he befriended the teenager on Inverness’s High Street on January 13 this year.
Fiscal depute Emily Hood said the pair exchanged phone numbers and on February 9 Wright sent the boy messages making his sordid offers which made him "feel uncomfortable and he didn't want to anything like that." The court was told he offered the boy up to £400.
Staff at a charity who had an involvement with the victim became aware of the correspondence and followed the boy who had arranged to meet Wright at the Greig Street Bridge.
They lost sight of him but he was traced to the bus station where he said he was going to meet Wright in Tomatin.
Police were informed.
Convicted sex offender Wright admitted sending indecent communications to the youngster.
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He also admitted downloading and possessing indecent images of boys on his mobile phone.
Police had conducted a routine visit to Wright and on viewing his phone, saw the images.
