In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Charles Riddell, then 31, of Ardblair Road, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, was sentenced at Perth Sheriff Court for his involvement in vile online grooming and the possession of horrific child abuse material. Charles Riddell, formerly known in the wrestling community as “Chas Phoenix” with Scottish Wrestling Entertainment, was targeted in a nationwide covert police operation. Riddell believed he was communicating with a 14-year-old boy named “Dylan,” but he was actually interacting with undercover officers specialised in trapping online predators.
The court heard that over a period of more than a year, Charles Riddell engaged in sickening sexual chat and requested photographs of the boy in his underwear. During a sting operation on October 23, 2018, Riddell conducted a video call via Skype where he performed a depraved sexual act, unaware that officers were recording the footage for evidence. When police raided his home in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, they were able to forensically match the bedding in his room to the background of the vile video he had transmitted.
Charles Riddell admitted to possessing indecent images of children and sending the explicit footage to the decoy for his own sexual gratification. Fiscal depute Nicola Gillespie noted that a search of his computer uncovered a library of horrendous material. Sheriff William Wood told the disgraced wrestler that his actions could have caused “significant harm” if viewed by a real child. Despite the serious nature of the offences, Riddell was handed a community payback order requiring him to carry out 225 hours of unpaid work and stay under supervision for two years.
As a result of his convictions for these vile sexual crimes, Charles Riddell was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for five years. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Police Scotland, remaining under supervision for the duration of his order. Following his arrest, Scottish Wrestling Entertainment confirmed it had cut all ties with the offender. Any breach of his registration requirements or further predatory behaviour in the Blairgowrie or Tayside region will result in his immediate return to court for a custodial sentence.
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