Alan Langmuir

Alan Langmuir, a 64-year-old carer from Edinburgh, has been placed on the sex offenders register following his guilty plea to attempting to indecently communicate with two children and sending an explicit image. The offences occurred between August and October 2024, when Langmuir engaged in inappropriate online conversations via Facebook Messenger with profiles he believed to be those of a 12-year-old girl named 'Megan' and a 14-year-old girl named 'Mollie'.

The case came to light after a paedophile hunter group set up decoy profiles to expose individuals targeting children online. Langmuir first contacted the '12-year-old' profile on 15 August 2024 at around 10pm, complimenting her by calling her 'cute' and 'pretty', and asking if she 'ever got horny'. He admitted to having 'a thing about tights' and inquired about the colour of her underwear. In messages to the '14-year-old' profile, he requested pictures of her feet in tights, sent an image of his penis, and shared links to pornographic websites. He also quizzed both profiles about their school uniforms and repeatedly described them as 'pretty' and 'beautiful'.

Langmuir's actions escalated when he demanded that one of the 'children' send him a pair of her tights and provided his home address in the Leith area of Edinburgh for the purpose. This led to his confrontation by the paedophile hunter group on 22 November 2024 at approximately 6:30pm. The group live-streamed the sting operation to their Facebook page, 'Scotland Child Protection Team Against Sexual Abuse', which garnered over 32,000 views. Police were subsequently contacted and arrested Langmuir.

During his police interview, Langmuir claimed, 'I thought this was all just role play. I didn’t actually believe the girl was under 16.' However, the evidence from the messages clearly demonstrated his intent to engage in sexual communication with minors. At the time of the offences, Langmuir was employed as a carer but was suspended following his arrest and dismissed in January 2025.

Langmuir appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 19 September 2025, having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing. Defence agent Paul Smith described his client as 'somewhat a lonely figure with an alcohol problem'. Sheriff Christopher Dickson acknowledged the seriousness of the offences, stating, 'These are serious offences you have pled guilty to.' Despite this, the sheriff opted against a custodial sentence, instead imposing a community payback order.

• Supervision by the social work department for 18 months
• 190 hours of unpaid work
• Ban on contact with children under 16
• Restrictions on internet access

The sentencing reflects the court's consideration of Langmuir's circumstances while ensuring public protection through registration on the sex offenders register. Fiscal depute Clare Green outlined the full details of the communications during the proceedings, highlighting the predatory nature of the exchanges (source: Edinburgh Sheriff Court records, as reported by Alexander Lawrie for the Midlothian Advertiser, 19 September 2025).