Galashiels man jailed after communicating indecently with undercover police officer posing as 13-year-old girl
Last updated 9th Jun 2025
A 62-year-old man from Galashiels who admitted communicating indecently with who he thought was a 13-year-old girl has today (Monday) been given a three-year extended sentence - 12 months of which must be spent behind bars.
Selkirk Sheriff Court heard Keith Ward approached an undercover police officer posing as the youngster in an online chat platform, before moving to instant messaging app Snapchat, and engaged her in conversation which quickly became sexual.
He sent an image of a man lying on a bed carrying out a sex act and then a video with further sexual comments and requests for her to send him photos.
When police visited his home the furnishings matched the images Ward had sent her.
He pled guilty to a charge of communicating with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl and causing her to view a sexual image on various occasions between September 11th and October 2nd last year.
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The court heard Ward had a previous conviction for a similar offence.
His solicitor, Ed Hulme, said his client had been in denial but now accepts he has a serious problem for which he needs help.
Sheriff Donald Ferguson said attempting to contact a child for the purpose of sexual gratification was a serious matter.
In addition to the jail sentence, he also placed Ward on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years.
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