A FULL-TIME PSNI officer has been assigned to work through files relating to an Ederney sex offender who allegedly posed as a female escort to extort funds from victims.  

The case of Scott Toothill (36), of Glendarragh Park, Ederney, was discussed at Enniskillen Magistrate's Court on Monday.

Toothill is charged with inciting prostitution, fraud by posing as a female and offering sexual services, blackmail, and concealing criminal property.

A previous hearing heard how in November, 2022, police commenced an investigation after he was found with an unapproved mobile phone and five SIM cards.

Analysis revealed he had allegedly posed as a female escort on various social media platforms using at least 12 different names.

More than 700,000 pieces of data from his phone and bank account were examined.

At a hearing on Monday, a prosecutor told the court that investigations into Toothill's alleged offending are ongoing.

"VIPER [Video Identification Parade Electronic Recording] procedures have been produced, and there is an analyst completing a report regarding a phone," the prosecutor said. 

"There is an awful lot of information to this file, and there is an officer dedicated to it full-time. [They] are working through it."

The prosecutor added that police are now in receipt of "all financial information", and that an interview had been completed with an alleged injured party.

Toothill's barrister, Craig Patton, described the case as a "complex matter".

District Judge Alana McSorley ordered that the case be returned to on November 18. 

A previous hearing of the case heard there are more than 100 unidentified victims worldwide, involving fraud, whereby Toothill, pretending to be a female escort, arranged payment for sexual services, with some victims blackmailed with exposure if they didn’t pay him.

Toothill has also allegedly engaged with several females whom he tried to involve in prostitution.

Alongside the unknown victims are a further six who are identified and have provided reports of fraud and blackmail.

Two are females whose images and personal details were allegedly used by Toothill to set up fake accounts on escort websites, “causing great distress due to the amount of sexual requests received”.

The others are four male victims of Toothill’s posing as a female escort advertising sexual services and obtaining payment; however, no meeting ever took place.