A SOUTH Ayrshire man allegedly attempted to send indecent sexual messages to someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy – but was actually an undercover police officer.

Dailly resident Daniel Dunbar denied the charge during a hearing at Ayr Sheriff Court last week.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Dunbar tried to make the recipient of the messages take part in sexual activity.

The Crown claims that the indecent messages were sent at the accused’s address in the village’s Main Street between May 19 and 25, 2021.

It’s alleged that the 30-year-old sent the messages to what he thought was a child described as ‘C’ for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming them. 

The charge claims that the ‘child’ was an undercover officer – but alleges that Mr Dunbar believed the recipient to be a child aged between 13 and 16.

The indictment alleges that he asked the ‘child’ to send him an intimate picture and that he thereby attempted to commit indecency, attempted to make them look at a sexual image, and attempted to cause an older child to partake in sexual activity.

At a hearing on Wednesday, May 17, defence solicitor Tony Currie said his client was pleading not guilty.

The case was continued for several weeks and bail was continued.