AN Irvine sex offender caught in a sting operation by ‘paedophile hunters’ has returned to court.

Depraved Andrew Smith, of Paterson Avenue, last week admitted being caught with the sick pictures at his home between December 10, 2015 and January 4 this year.

Back in April, Smith pleaded guilty to sending a series of explicit images of himself over Facebook to who he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

But he was actually talking to a man who poses as children to catch out potential paedophiles.

Smith, 39, admitted sending messages and pictures to the account between September 1 and November 29, 2015 but dodged a prison sentence.

He returned to the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week to answer a separate charge of possessing indecent images.

The court heard how Smith, who lives with his mother and sister, was visited by police at the home in respect of another matter.

Officers met Smith at his workplace and detained him where he was taken to his home.

A search was carried out and a number of mobile phones and computers were recovered for analysis. Smith was given his liberty at that time.

Police found a number of indecent images on the devices including 34 on a computer, 28 on a mobile phone, four on a laptop and one on a tablet.

A video was also recovered showing an adult male and a child.
Smith was taken to Saltcoats Police Office and made no reply to being cautioned and charged.

In relation to the previous charge, Smith was sentenced to three years of supervision and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for the same time with stringent conditions as part of a Community Payback Order.

The conditions mean he must not have any unsupervised contact with a child under 17, access the internet unless at work or a recognised course, download any software capable of deleting internet history and must allow police access to any device capable of accessing the internet if required.

Public Justice PHL (Paedophile Hunters London) - who caught Smith sending the messages - described the sentence as “way too soft” and called for a prison term instead.

As a result of the conviction, presiding Sheriff Mungo Bovey called for an up to date social work report on Smith.

He will return for sentencing in September.