Sex predator trying to lure young girls online snared by decoy

A man using the name ‘Batman and Superman’ tried to lure young girls online to have sex with him.

However Callum May was instead talking to three adults from a vigilante group posing as decoys at his home in Glasgow’s Germiston in August this year.

The 47-year-old had only been released from prison for an earlier sentence under a month prior to the offence.

On Friday, May pled guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to three charges of attempting to communicate indecently with an adult posing as a child.

The court heard May first chatted with the first decoy on the app Randochat on August 9.

Prosecutor Mark Allan said: “He was using a profile named ‘Batman and Superman’.

“He asked if the decoy was 18 and she replied the next day that she was 13 nearly 14.

“He made reference that he had recently been to prison for talking to young girls.”

The pair later contacted each other on WhatsApp where the chat became sexual.

He asked if the girl was “interested in older men” and to keep their communication secret.

Mr Allan added: “He mentioned wanting to meet her in Ayr but no plans were put in place to do so.”

Meantime, May was also contacting a decoy posing as a 14-year-old girl on Randochat while using the same username.

The pair chatted on WhatsApp where he asked for and was sent a picture of the decoy in which he replied: “f*****g nice.”

May said he “could get done for talking to a minor” but continued the sexualised conversation.

May then inquired about a friend that appeared in one of the images sent by the decoy.

The decoy contacted a colleague who portrayed herself as her friend – a 15-year-old girl.

Mr Allan said: “He continued to send sexual communications to the decoys and made reference to them travelling up to Glasgow and they can have a “three-way” together.

“He asked one of the decoys if she would travel to Glasgow with the other one.

“When they agreed…he confirmed that he lived in the Royston area of Glasgow, no plans were put in place to set up the meeting.”

May also called the final decoy “sexy” and sent the pair of them images of him in a sweater.

Police raided May’s home on August 16.

Mr Allan added: “An officer noted May was wearing the same beige coloured wool knit sweater that he had been wearing in the photographs he had sent to the decoys.”

May also joked that officers would be unable to find his phone and claimed it was at his partner’s address.

On the mention of a warrant for the partner’s property, May confessed that his phone was hidden behind a wardrobe which was later found to contain the chat logs.

Sentence was deferred until next month pending background reports by sheriff Matthew Jackson QC, who remanded May and put him on the sex offender’s register in the meantime.