A dad assaulted his five year-old son and used abusive language towards him.

The 31-year-old, who cannot be named to protect son's identity, pled guilty to two charges at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court this week.

The court heard that at around 9am on July 24, a social worker arrived in her car at the man’s Kilwinning home to collect his five-year-old son.

As she was parking her car, she heard the little boy crying and the accused’s raised voice.

She next saw the man dragging the boy by the arm towards her vehicle, while saying: “Cheeky wee f*****”

The man opened the rear door and pushed his son into the car and into his car seat.

He then slammed the door shut and stormed off while shouting at the boy not to come back.

The social worker strapped the boy into the seat and drove off. She stopped after a short distance to console him and calm him down.

She then contacted police.

Defence lawyer Fraser Alexander said that his client had recently gained full time employment after a long period out of work.

He added: “The situation was and still is that him and the boy’s mother are separated. As a result of this incident he has not had any further contact with his son and he is of course keen to change that.

“In relation to his conduct, it was clearly unacceptable. His position is that it was a result of a build-up of frustration on his part. He had his son for a few days and couldn’t cope with his behaviour.”

Sheriff Michael Hanlon described the man’s record as “not good” and called for reports.

The accused was bailed and will return to the court for sentencing at a later date.