Man admits secret police sex con

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A retired Borders car mechanic posed as a secret policeman to dupe a Portuguese woman into giving him sexual favours, a court has been told.

John Irvine, 63, from Coldstream, admitted the offences, which took place between 1 March and 29 May 2005.

He used computer software to produce e-mails in the woman's native language warning her that her family would die if she did not comply.

Sentence was deferred and Irvine was put on the sex offenders' register.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard Irvine told the Portuguese woman, who spoke very little English, a letter had been sent to him addressed to the "Number One Secret Government Police".

He regularly handed her e-mails - purporting to be from the secret services or the government - saying if she did not do what they said, her family and friends would be killed.

The correspondence also claimed her benefits would be stopped and if she tried to leave Scotland, the plane or train she was on would be blown up.

'Secret place'

The instructions steadily became more extreme and explicit.

He would then drive her to Oxenrig Farm, near Coldstream, which he called the "secret place", where he made the woman sit on his lap, touched her, and performed sex acts on her.

The court heard the terrified woman, who knew nothing of computers, was convinced the e-mails were real - and did not believe friends who told her they were sent by Irvine.

She eventually took 21 of the notes to the police - and was distraught when the truth came out.

Lord Clarke deferred sentence for background reports and continued Irvine's bail.