Four years for net sex man

Phillip Bugler contacted the girl via an internet chatroom

An occupational health nurse who had underage sex with a schoolgirl he met on the internet has been jailed for four years.

Phillip Bugler, 46, pretended to be a younger man and developed a relationship with the 15-year-old from Perthshire.

Bugler, from Lancashire, then drove her to a hotel in Falkirk where he had sex with her.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, the judge, Lord Drummond Young, said that modern communication like the internet and text messaging undermined the influence and control which parents had over their teenage children.

It is clear that these so-called chatrooms are not vetted for age in any way

Lord Drummond Young

John Carr, internet adviser to the children's charity NCH, described it as "the classic case about which we warn parents and children constantly".

He said the internet had become completely integrated into society and the challenge was to learn how to help children to use it safely.

"There's no point in disparaging it, " he said, "it's a fact of modern life now."

Bugler, a married man with a 19-year-old son, of Redwood Avenue, Leyland, posed as a 33-year-old.

'Knight in armour'

The girl first contacted Bugler when she began visiting chat lines on the internet via her mobile phone.

She thought she had met her "knight in shining armour", who showed her attention and offered understanding, as she was feeling so miserable at the time.

But when the girl, who was described as "intelligent, but naive over sexual matters", met the short, balding, bespectacled figure of Bugler she was surprised by his appearance.

There will always be somebody who is going to try to exploit it for illegal purposes

Peter Robbins
Internet Watch Foundation

He persuaded her to get into his car then locked the doors and threatened her with violence if she attempted to escape.

Bugler then drove the girl 30 miles to The Orchard Hotel in Falkirk, where he locked his victim in a room and had sex with her.

He was originally charged with abducting, raping and attempting to rape the teenager and fled abroad but later returned to hand himself in.

New charges were brought against the first offender and he admitted having unlawful sexual intercourse with the underage girl.

He also pleaded guilty to failing to appear at the High Court earlier this year after previously being granted bail.

The internet is "here to stay"

The judge, at the High Court in Edinburgh, told Bugler that he had to pass a sentence that had "a serious deterrent effect".

Lord Drummond Young said the internet and mobile telephones with text messaging can allow "unscrupulous men" to contact teenage children to arrange sexual encounters.

"It seems to me it can seriously undermine parents' control over their children," said the judge.

He added that vulnerable girls were especially likely to resort such ways of getting in touch with other people.

Defence solicitor-advocate John Keenan said Bugler's wife intends to divorce him and he had lost his job.

The defence lawyer said Bugler had met his victim through a chatroom aimed specifically at over 18s.

Illegal purposes

But Lord Drummond Young said: "It is clear that these so-called chatrooms are not vetted for age in any way. Moreover, it seems to me quite obvious there is a temptation for teenage girls to exaggerate their age."

Peter Robbins, chief executive of Internet Watch Foundation, said: "The internet is a good thing and children, parents and society as a rule gets a lot more information as a consequence of it being in existence.

"But like every other form of communication, there will always be somebody who is going to try to exploit it for illegal purposes.

"Regrettably there are always going to be the occasional down sides and this is one of these cases."