A Scottish charity trustee was caught red-handed by vigilantes who used a fake “13-year-old” decoy to trap pedophiles.
Following his arrest and subsequent court appearance, 53-year-old Scott Howie voluntarily stepped down as director of Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland.
A decoy named Emily, fabricated by a Welsh vigilante group, received photos of the executive’s nude chest.
Howie, a resident of Cumbernauld, admitted before the Airdrie Sheriff Court to having an indecent conversation with an individual he thought was a minor on April 11th, 2018.
Scott Howie sent ‘Emily’ two explicit photos on WhatsApp on April 11, 2023, along with images of his face and bare body.
However, a Welsh internet child protection group member created the profile and then shared the data they collected with a Scottish vigilante squad who then contacted the authorities.
The 53-year-old, who is wheelchair-bound due to spina bifida, resigned from his position at SBH the day following the group’s confrontation.
The Cumbernauld man named Mr. Howie is married. He confessed to the pornographic conversations with who he thought was a thirteen-year-old girl.
Mr. Howie’s wife was astonished when she asked him why he had gotten involved with the “girl,” and he said he didn’t know why. Boredom was his answer.
The online decoy identified herself as a 13-year-old girl, prosecutor Lauren Cole told the court. When he said she was “very young,” Howie indicated he knew her age. He informed her that such a little girl shouldn’t have him as a friend. He said when “she” said she wanted to talk, he was “thrilled.”
He gave her his number and requested they move the chat to WhatsApp. Until 11:15 p.m. that night, the sexually suggestive chat persisted. He confessed that the man in his online profile photo was him. He said he should have stopped talking to the minor as he knew she was just 13.
According to defense lawyer Ian Smart, Mr. Howie pleaded guilty early on and cooperated with the investigation.
Howie, a housing administrator by trade, has been an influential figure in SBH Scotland for about 30 years. No statement on his conviction came from the charity.
