Family of man accused of grooming girl, 14, vow to clear him

THE family of a British man accused by US police of grooming a 14-year-old on the internet have said they will fight to clear his name.

Keith Bain, 26, from Shetland, faces a charge of soliciting a child online after swapping messages with a girl in the Minneapolis area, according to local media.

The barman, who lives in Lerwick, is suspected of striking up a long-distance sexual relationship with the teenager he met on an internet chatroom in 2007.

They sent one another nude photos, with the girl, now 16, acting as Bain's "slave", the Star Tribune newspaper reported.

A friend contacted police after becoming concerned about their exchanges.

The girl is said to have told investigators he was aware of her age but his mother Gilda said yesterday her son had been "hung out to dry".

Mrs Bain said: "To anybody who uses the internet, male or female, it's very, very dangerous.

"You don't know who you're talking to, you don't know what age they are, what kind of people you are talking to or what could be misconstrued."

Mr Bain's mother said he had not been notified of any warrant and the family has contacted Interpol and local police in a bid to find out more.

Mrs Bain said: "The first I heard about it was when a friend saw it in our local newspaper.

"Can you imagine? He's been hung out to dry."

The Star Tribune said Bain faces a charge of "electronic solicitation of a child" after e-mailing nude photographs and posting bondage items and pornographic DVDs.

Prosecutors, however, are not seeking extradition. Washington County attorney Doug Johnson told the newspaper: "We're not going to extradite him, because under our sentencing guidelines he would only be placed on probation.

"If he ever tries to step foot in this country, he'll be arrested".