A 32-year-old man from Lanark is awaiting a prison sentence after admitting to paying a 13-year-old girl for naked photographs and then threatening to distribute them to her family.
Grooming and Exploitation on Instagram
Finlay Morrice initiated contact with the teenage girl, who lived in England, via Instagram in September 2020. What began as a conversation quickly turned sexual in nature. Morrice persistently begged the child to send him intimate images of herself.
Over the course of their communication, which lasted until May 2021, Morrice sent the girl a total of £500 via PayPal. In return, he received 15 explicit photographs. The court heard that when the victim later refused to supply more images, Morrice resorted to blackmail.
Blackmail Threats and Police Investigation
In a sinister attempt to coerce the girl into sending more material, Morrice sent her screenshots of her family members' social media profiles. He explicitly threatened to send the intimate photos he already possessed to her relatives if she did not comply with his demands.
The abuse was uncovered when the girl's mother discovered the communications and reported the matter to West Mercia Police. Their investigation led to a coordinated raid by Police Scotland on Morrice's home in Lanark.
Further Offences and Court Proceedings
At Lanark Sheriff Court, Morrice pleaded guilty to a series of serious charges. He admitted causing the 13-year-old girl to become involved in pornography by inducing her to take images of herself in exchange for payment for the period between September 2020 and May 2021.
He further confessed to permitting or taking indecent images of children between April 2022 and January 2023. A separate charge of distributing indecent images of children in April 2022 was also admitted, after police found he had swapped pictures with another offender on the Telegram messaging app.
Depute fiscal Jack Lindsay outlined the blackmail, stating Morrice had sent the victim "screenshots of her family’s online social media platforms and threatened to send them the photos he was already in receipt of."
Sentencing Deferred and Bail Conditions
Sheriff David Bernard described the case as "a serious matter" and deferred sentencing until February to allow for the preparation of reports. Morrice was continued on bail but has been placed on the sex offenders' register.
This case highlights the dangers of online grooming and the severe legal consequences for those who exploit children and engage in the creation and distribution of indecent imagery.
