A 42-YEAR-OLD man from Kelso was caught with indecent images of children as young as eight being abused after attempting to communicate indecently with two underage girls online.

Mark Patterson described his desire to perform sexual acts on one of the youngsters, despite them stating their age was 12, and requested details of the sexual experience of the other, after she told him she was 14. 

He also asked for indecent images of both girls during the sexualised conversations, before it emerged he had in fact been messaging undercover police officers who were posing as young girls.

Patterson committed the offences at his home at Priors Court, Kelso, between May 9 and 16 last year. 

Officers who went to his address then found a total of 67 pictures and videos, featuring girls aged between eight and 16, on two mobile phones seized from his bedroom. 

The devices also showed that he had shared some of the sick material on the social messaging app Kik. 

Patterson was also charged with taking, or permitting to be taken, indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs, of children at his home in Kelso and elsewhere between September 20, 2016, and December 19, 2018. 

He admitted all four charges at Jedburgh Sheriff Court.

Sentence has been deferred until December 3 for background reports, and his name has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register.