Scots dwarf entertainer sex pest spared jail

Marc Corrieri pictured during an event. Picture: Submitted

Marc Corrieri, 22, from Motherwell, charged £150 an hour to accompany revellers on wild party nights.

He dressed up as Superman or as an Oompa Loompa from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

But the 4ft 2ins performer was exposed as a pervert who harassed young girls on Facebook and quizzed them about sex.

Corrieri boasted he was rich, claimed he had a flash car and offered one girl a job as his face painter.

But he was caught by police after one girl’s horrified mother found disgusting messages and feared her daughter was being groomed.

Yesterday he appeared at Hamilton Sheriff Court and was ordered to perform 240 hours of unpaid work and put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for three years.

He had earlier admitted four charges of sending sexually explicit messages to two 13-year-olds and two sixteen year olds between May 2011 and August 2012.

Defence lawyer Stephen McQuillan said: “This is a very serious matter. He is unemployed and lives at home with his parents.

“My submission is to ask you to step back from a custodial sentence and look at other options.

“I say again that he fully understands the serious nature of this offence.”

The court heard Corrieri first contacted a pair of twin sisters when they were aged 15 on Facebook.

Depute fiscal Imran Bashir said: “He originally asked the sisters to go for a walk with him.

“He sent regular messages but they stopped abruptly for about six months.

“When they turned 16 he messaged them again and they described the messages as being a lot more ‘creepy’ than before.

“He told one of them he was now her boss and she would have to do what he said.

“She was worried he would be waiting for her after work.”

The court also heard he contacted a 13-year-old girl on Facebook after meeting her at an under-16s disco he worked at.

He offered her a job face-painting and said he would pay her £50 a day. But he later sent her sexual messages and asked about her sex life.

He also contacted another 13-year-old and repeatedly asked her what school she went to and offered to collect her.

None of the girls knew him before he contacted them.

Corrieri had earlier told how loved his entertainment job but laid down strict ground rules to keep his dignity intact.

He said: “It’s a different career. I wanted to have a laugh and I just thought, “go for it”.

“I get paid to go out and party with different lads, we get a lot of attention from the ladies and I get to enjoy myself.

“I dress up for them as Superman or as an Oompa Loompa but I draw the line at dressing up as a woman - that’s a no go.”

His rules included no picking up or throwing, no tampering with his drink, not using the word ‘midget’ and no police involvement.

Sheriff Joyce Powrie said: “I am prepared to make a community payback order and you will be subject to supervision.

“You also have to attend the sex offenders group work programme.

“If you are not compliant then you will be in breach of this order and brought back and I think you know that there will only be one place you will be going.”

Corrieri refused to comment.