Sick perv who spied on Scots mum and baby through Alexa speaker jailed
A SERIAL perv was jailed for nearly four years for spying on a mum and trying to groom her child using her Alexa speaker.
Aaron Herschell, 25, was also added to the sex offenders register indefinitely for the “sinister” crime, which saw him adopt a fake ID to persuade the mother to pair her Amazon smart tech to his.
The sicko — previously caged for the attempted rape of a teen in 2017 — then listened in by keeping the line constantly open.
He also plotted to groom the woman’s daughter using the device — telling the 20-month-old he was her daddy, singing her lullabies and reading her stories.
Herschell, of West Calder, West Lothian, even set up a video call so he could see the child.
But he turned off his camera so neither she nor her mum could see what he was doing.
Read more Scottish News
Jailing him for 45 months, beak Peter Hammond said at Livingston Sheriff Court: “You have an atrocious record for sexual offending and breaches of sexual harm prevention orders.
“You conducted a campaign of controlling and intrusive conduct to a point that can only be described as sinister.”
We previously told how the landmark case emerged as a Westminster select committee prepared to report on the growing use – and possibly sinister abuse – of smart technology.
Experts have previously warned that such devices should be treated with caution as they are ‘by definition, always listening’.
Most read in The Scottish Sun
Tory MP Julian Knight, chair of Westminster’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport DC Committee, said: “There is always the danger it will have a more sinister side, with users potentially sacrificing privacy, put at risk of cyber-crime, or left open to uncovering harmful content online.
“This disturbing court case highlights the potential dangers in our own homes of this connected technology.”
Read More on The Sun
Mr Knight, who is leading an inquiry into smart tech, added: “This technology is open to abuse, particularly by individuals like this.
“People need to be careful of how they let this into their lives and the safeguards they take.”
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at scoop@thesun.co.uk or call 0141 420 5200