Edinburgh shopkeeper found guilty of indecency towards a teenage girl
Vinit Kotadiya pleaded guilty at Edinburgh Sherrif Court on Tuesday
A 23-year-old man pleaded guilty on Tuesday for sending indecent text messages to a minor, supplying her with alcohol and asking her to marry him over a span of six weeks last year.
Vinit Kotadiya of Gorgie, Edinburgh, is said to have started a friendship with the 13-year-old when they met each other outside the Lifestyle Express store in Bridge Street, Tranent in 2021. He gave his Instagram account details to her for them to be able to contact and communicate with each other.
The man, who worked at a shop in Tranent, East Lothian, showered the teenager with gifts including a vodka bottle, £120 cash and a new rucksack for her 14th birthday in an effort to win her affections.
The girl’s mother was very concerned after she discovered the messages on the gifts that were supposedly given to her by her friends. She went on to contact the police, who arrested and charged Kotadiya.
At the Edinburgh Sherrif Court, he pleaded guilty to sending the girl messages of grossly offensive and indecent nature, and supplying her with alcohol. He admitted to targeting the victim between January 1 and February 18 last year.
Fiscal depute Morgan Beattie informed the court and said, “The complainer followed the accused on Instagram. The accused was informed by the complainer of her age.”
“The accused began to buy alcohol for the complainer and arranged to meet the complainer at the back of the Lifestyle Express to hand over the alcohol.” He also asked her to “be his Valentine’s” at the beginning of February 2021.
The prosecutor went on to add, “She told him she was only 13 and he said he would wait for her. The accused told the complainer he loved her and wants to marry her. He promised not to let her down and again she indicated she was 13.”
Kotadiya’s lawyer Callum Turner said that ‘he would defer his mitigation to the sentencing hearing’ and requested Sheriff John Cook to not add his client’s name on the Sex Offenders Register for the time being.
The sheriff replied saying that he would “consider” adding Kotadiya’s name to the register and postponed the sentencing to next month to allow reports relating to the case to be put together.
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