iStockA man who claimed he would sexually abuse a young schoolgirl has been ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work.
Martin Marshall, 49, believed he was talking to the girl’s father online between March and May 2023.
However, Marshall had actually been chatting to an undercover police officer posing as a ‘decoy’.
Marshall made comments to the officer which included raping a girl and stated he “liked” children between the ages of five and 15 years old.
The crime took place 29 years after Marshall was convicted at the High Court for an assault to severe injury, permanent disfigurement and danger of life with a firearms offence.
Marshall pled guilty on Wednesday at Glasgow Sheriff Court to sending messages that were grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing in character.
The court heard Marshall, of the city’s Possilpark, started talking to the officer named ‘Andrew’ in March 2023.
Prosecutor Redmond Harris said: “Marshall believed that the man had a six-year-old daughter.
“Marshall stated that he would like to abuse the child and that he was attracted to children aged between five and 15 years old.”
Mr Harris went on to read out 58 lines of chat between Marshall and the undercover officer.
The matter was reported to the police and officers executed a search warrant on the property where they seized Marshall’s phone.
He was arrested and told officers that he “did not remember” the conversations.
In reply to caution and charge, Marshall said: “I don’t know what to say.”
Sheriff Mark McGuire put Marshall under supervision for two years as well as imposing the unpaid work order.
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