Soldier caught in paedophile sting at pipe band contest

A SOLDIER was snared in a paedophile trap while he took part in the World Pipe Band contest in Scotland.

- By Ed Chatterton

Hamdan Alkhamali, 47, believed he was chatting online to a 12-year-old girl between July and August 2024.

But he was actually talking to an adult from a vigilante group.

Alkhamali claimed he would have sex with her and that he knew what he was doing was against the law.

The soldier, a member of the Omani army band, was caught while he was taking part in the competition at Glasgow Green.

It led to negotiations to bring Alkhamali, a first offender, back to Scotland from Oman.

He pled guilty yesterday at Glasgow Sheriff Court to sending written communication to a person he believed to be a child.