Trevor Martindale sent sexual messages to who he believed was a 12-year-old girl including asking the ‘child’ for pictures of her wearing her school uniform.
Martindale, 43, also repeatedly made references about sexual intercourse and agreed to meet up with the ‘schoolgirl’ at a future date while chatting to her on the social media apps Chatib and Snapchat.
But instead of being in contact with a young girl the trainee minister was in fact speaking to an undercover police officer who had set up the profile in a bid to snare online predators.
Officers raided his Edinburgh home in September this year and he spent three nights in custody before appearing at the capital’s sheriff court to plead guilty to communicating indecently with who he believed to be a child.
Martindale is now facing disciplinary action by the Church of Scotland who said it moved “swiftly and decisively” to suspend him as soon as the allegations emerged.
The disgraced clergyman returned to the dock for sentencing on November 1 where Sheriff Wendy Sheehan placed him on a supervision order and on the sex offender’s register for 18 months.
He was also sentenced to a programme requirement where he will have to attend sessions with the sex offenders rehabilitation programme Moving Forward 2 Change.
A strict conduct requirement was also issued that prohibits his internet activity and has banned him from having any contact with children under 18 and from attending at school and nursery grounds without prior approval from his supervising officer.
Martindale born and brought up in South Africa and after moving to the UK as a teenager he has been living in Scotland for the past 23 years.
Martindale has been in training to become a minister with the Church of Scotland over the past few years and has been undertaking ministry placements in several churches in the Edinburgh area.
A Church of Scotland spokesman said: “The Church moved swiftly and decisively as soon as the allegations made against Trevor Martindale came to light and he was immediately placed on administrative suspension while court proceedings were underway.
“His safeguarding clearance to work with children or vulnerable people has been revoked and the Church is taking further action in terms of its disciplinary procedures.”
Martindale pleaded guilty to indecently communicating with who he believed was a child, but was in fact a police officer, on social media apps Chatib and Snapchat on various occasions between September 11 and 13 this year.