A PERVERT who sent a naked picture of himself to a girl he believed was 13 years old avoided jail today.

Thomas McGhee, 40, was instead talking to an adult decoy posing as the teenager.

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that a member of a vigilante group created the decoy called 'Sophie'.

The pair communicated between October 3 and October 28, 2021.

Prosecutor Emma Baker told the court that a total of 2,500 text exchanges were done.

She said: "McGhee told the decoy that she was underage and that she would get in trouble."

McGhee sent sexually explicit messages which included him posing naked in a mirror.

He also sent pictures of male and female genitalia as well as a man wearing a bra.

McGhee told the decoy that he would do sexual things to her.

The decoy passed McGhee's information to another vigilante group who confronted him at his home.

The police were also called meantime and they arrested McGhee.

He pled guilty to sending written sexual communications to an adult pretending to be a child.

McGhee also admitted sending an image to an adult pretending to be a child thereby attempting to cause a child to view a sexual image.

Sheriff Shona Gilroy ordered McGhee, of Sandyhills, to carry out 210 hours of unpaid work.

He was also put under supervision for 18 months and the sex offenders register for five years.