Sex offender who scammed footballers into sending him naked photos spared prison

Published: 18:45, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 18:58, 16 July 2026 A scammer who duped Premier League and Championship footballers into sending him naked pictures has been told he will not have to serve a prison sentence. William Kirkpatrick, 27, pretended to be a fellow player to convince the stars to sending nude photos of themselves to him. He messaged a Sheffield Wednesday player on WhatsApp and said the star could be added to the team group chat if he sent two naked images. The unsuspecting victim was then asked to send the phone numbers of other players. Kirkpatrick then went on to target a Nottingham Forest player and sent him a message which said: ‘I’ve got your welcome forfeit. Slips or birthday suit.’ Police were called in when the Sheffield Wednesday player’s teammates told him they were not behind the messages. The Nottingham Forest footballer believed the message was real and was ‘frightened and worried about the impact on his career’ and a second report was made to police.  Officers from Police Scotland raided Kirkpatrick’s then home in Ayr and seized an iPhone which had on it the naked pictures sent by both players – who cannot be identified for legal reasons. According to a social work report, William Kirkpatrick felt 'shame and regret' over scamming Premier League and Championship players into sending him naked pictures  There was no evidence that Kirkpatrick had shared or sold any of the images. Kirkpatrick, now of Glasgow, appeared at Ayr Sheriff Court and admitted two charges of fraud. His behaviour spanned between June and July 2024. Quentin Muir, defending, said: ‘These offences are very unusual and relate to professional footballers. The background to the deception being that the accused sent messages to them claiming he was another professional footballer and invited them to send what you might call initiation photos. ‘There was no financial gain from this and it does seem somewhat odd that people with such public profiles would have correspondence without any form of investigation but that is where we are. ‘He did this for his own sexual gratification but there has been no attempt to publish these images.’ Mr Muir said a social work report made reference to the ‘shame and regret’ felt by Kirkpatrick. Sheriff Connelly told Kirkpatrick: ‘It is a serious offence and looking at culpability you are entirely to blame for this and seemed to be involved in a fairly extensive scheme where you identified and managed to get the telephone numbers of these individuals and then sent these messages. ‘It caused them significant harm and distress.’ Passing sentence, the sheriff said: ‘This is the type of offence which could attract a custodial sentence but I do consider that in terms of rehabilitation that it might be more appropriate to impose a high-tariff community disposal.’ Kirkpatrick was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and will be tagged for two months as a direct alternative to prison. He will also be under supervision for three years and was placed on the sex offenders register for five after prosecutors argued that the scam had a ‘significant sexual element’. Sheriff Connelly warned Kirkpatrick that he will end up behind bars if he breaches any of the court orders.