BACKGROUND reports have been ordered into 33-year-old man who has admitted a charge of communicating indecently with a person he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

Kristofer Lind pleaded guilty to the offence which happened at his home in Park Street, Hawick, between November 13 and November 21 last year.

Prosecutor Charlotte Allan told Jedburgh Sheriff Court how Lind engaged in conversation with an undercover police officer who was pretending to be a 14-year-old female on the Whisper and Snapchat social media platforms.

Lind sent several images of his face but the conversation soon turned sexual by asking her if she was wearing any underwear and sending her a picture of his penis.

He also made arrangements to meet her and how they would need to take contraceptive precautions when they met.

It ended when Lind removed the girl from his Snapchat account without explanation on November 21.

Ms Allan said police searched his home under warrant and the background furnishings matched the images Lind had been sending from his phone.

Defence lawyer Ross Dow reserved his mitigation plea to the sentencing diet but pointed out his client had come to his senses and had blocked the girl on his phone on November 21.

Sheriff Peter Paterson said Lind would be made subject to the reporting requirements of the Sexual Offences Act - the length of which will be decided when he is sentenced on December 3.

He continued Lind's bail which includes not to approach or contact anyone under 16 years of age.