A county man has been placed on the sex offenders’ register after he attempted to engage in a sexual conversation with a child.

Colin McFadyean, currently of Harkness Crescent, Tranent, believed he was in contact online with a young girl named Kiera and sent her a video depicting adults engaged in sexual intercourse.

But the person he was chatting to turned out to be an adult connected to a paedophile hunter group who consequently informed the police of the offence.

McFadyean was arrested and charged, and appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last Tuesday to plead guilty to a charge of attempting to cause a child to view a sexual image from an address on High Street, Cockenzie, on March 24, 2019.

Sheriff Matthew Auchincloss placed the 67-year-old on the register for nine months and, as a direct alternative to custody, also imposed 80 hours of unpaid work.