DEREK Mackay’s future is in the balance after the 42-year-old Finance Secretary was alleged to have bombarded a teenager with creepy texts.
The SNP minister – who is due to deliver the Scottish Government’s budget later this afternoon – is said to have contacted the 16-year-old out of the blue, sending him hundreds of messages on Facebook and Instagram over a period of six months.
According to the Scottish Sun, the MSP called the schoolboy "cute" and invited him to dinner and an event at the Scottish Parliament.
Mackay is also said to have liked snaps of the teen in his sports gear and even sent direct messages to him on Christmas Day.
In one conversation, the politician asks: “Are our chats between us?” before telling the teen: “I think you are really cute.”
The conversations began last August when the SNP politician sent a private greeting to the lad as he was preparing to go into S5.
In a midnight exchange starting at 12.03am on Friday, December 27, messages show the Cabinet Minister telling the boy: “You are looking good with that new haircut.”
The youngster replies: “Thanks, needed a change. Long hair was getting annoying.”
Mackay, who lives with his boyfriend in Bishopton, posts back: “Cute. You don’t mind compliments.”
The boy says: “Not at all.”
And then Mackay says: “Good. And our chats are between us?”
The boy agrees and Mackay adds: “Cool, then to be honest I think you are really cute.
“Is that Ok? Just as long as you know but you can delete that message. Lol.” The boy did not delete the message.
And on September 8 he tried to make contact again, this time asking the boy, whose profile contains rugby pics: “Do you follow Scottish rugby nations.”
Messages show the boy is clear about his age, telling Mackay in September he is 16 and at school.
The offer to take the boy to a rugby game came as he quizzed the youngster about the sport, saying: “You might have to explain the rules before I go.”
The lad replies: “It’s really hard to explain it by text. It’s a lot easier to explain it while watching a match.”
Mackay posts back: “Is that an invite lol.”
The teen dismisses the idea, saying: “Don’t have the money for that.”
But Mackay then offers: “I could take you?” The boy then says he “wouldn’t mind that” and the MSP immediately asks: “What’s your mobile.”
Within minutes of receiving the number Mackay is said to have sent a text to the youngster.
In a further chat in October Mackay asks the boy to help him deliver campaign leaflets.
He tells Mackay he would need to get home before 8pm to which the politician says: “Oh you will be finished long before then.
The MSP then sends a follow-up message, asking “Unless you wanted to stay for dinner lol.”
But the boy says that “My mum would get worried”.
Mackay was still messaging the boy up until five days ago.
The teenager told The Scottish Sun that before the unexpected social media contact, he had no idea who the politician was.
The boy’s mum told the paper: “Inside, I have always been afraid of what can happen on social media — but I never really thought something like this would happen to him.
“When I finally found out what was going on I was furious.
“A man like that is not supposed to say these sort of things to a boy — he looks like he wants something from my son. When I finally read the messages it was terrifying and made my stomach turn. My son’s friends, his girlfriend, can say he is cute — but not this strange man."
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