A sex plot blackmailer who was caught when he left his DNA on a handwritten ransom note has dodged a prison sentence.
Father-of-two Kevin Proctor was allowed to walk free from court after a sheriff heard his wife could lose her nursery supervisor job and university place if he was locked up.
Sheriff Robert More said: "You pled guilty to two charges of very significant gravity. They were component parts of a single course of criminal behaviour.
"They were planned meticulously and carried out in a most sinister manner with the creation of a false social media profile and deliberate targeting of unsuspecting individuals at random.
"The individuals were entirely innocent and did nothing wrong. They must have been placed in a state of extreme trepidation, given the stigma attached.
"You have significant commitments towards your children. Your partner is in work and studying for a degree and there is understandable concern both would be lost.
"Your partner and children are entirely innocent in this sorry saga. The interests of the public can be served by an alternative to custody in your case."
He ordered Proctor to carry out 120 hours unpaid work in the community and placed him on a curfew from 9pm to 6am for a six month period.
Victims were lured into Proctor's callous scheme after being randomly sent photographs of a young woman who claimed she needed help.
When the victims were duped into exchanging explicit photographs with "Stephanie Dunn" they were then hit with a ransom demand from a mystery man.
Proctor - posing as "Barry" - left his victims terrified and one paid out a four-figure sum to buy his silence rather than report the matter to the police.
The unemployed 41-year-old admitted extorting £1,200 from one victim by putting him in a state of fear or alarm from 1 December 2020 to 19 January 2021. He admitted threatening to disclose his communications with "Stephanie Dunn".
Proctor, Rattray Street, Monifieth, also admitted trying to extort £1,000 from another man using the same scheme between 20 October and 11 November 2020.
Fiscal depute Stewart Duncan told Dundee Sheriff Court that the first victim suffered from chronic anxiety, epilepsy, depression and had a pacemaker fitted.
"He received a message from a Facebook account named Stephanie Dunn. From her picture, he estimated her to be a female aged 20 or 21.
"The account told him she was not being looked after properly and was not getting food or clothing," Mr Duncan said. "She said she wanted him to look after her.
"She stated she wanted to be with him and he was sent a topless photo. The complainer sent back a photo of his naked genitals.
"She stated she wanted to come to his address. The complainer did not want this to happen. She said she knew how to please a man."
Another, more graphic image of a female was sent to the man, and he responded by sending back another explicit image. "She stated she had been without food for two days. He then told her his home address as he felt sorry for her."
When he discovered "Stephanie Dunn" was 15 through a Facebook page drawn to his attention, he stopped contacting her within a day.
But he was then sent a message by Proctor - posing as Stephanie's step-brother Barry - and demanding £1,000 cash in instalments.
Proctor told the victim he had all of the photos and messages which had been exchanged and would take them to the police if the ransom money was not paid.
The victim then found a handwritten note at his door which warned him about the consequences of failing to pay the £1,000 blackmail demand.
A friend of the victim then contacted "Barry" to offer to pay the money - and they were provided with a bank account in the name Kevin Proctor.
"No money was sent to the accused in this charge," Mr Duncan said. "The handwritten letter was checked and found to have the accused's fingerprints on it."
As part of the investigation, officers discovered further suspicious payments in Proctor's bank account, and that led them to his second victim.
This victim had paid Proctor £1,200 in just over a month after he threatened to expose the communication between the complainer and "Stephanie Dunn."
The court was told that Stephanie Dunn was fictitious and was not known to be a real person involved in the blackmail plot.
Solicitor John Boyle, defending, said: "Essentially it was financial pressure which led to him to try to obtain money. He entirely accepts responsibility.
"The prospect of custody would cause significant concern for him and his family. He is essentially the main carer for the children.
"His partner works and studies at university. If he were to lose his liberty that would cause significant difficulty for his partner in terms of employment and university studies."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
