A serial sex offender has been jailed for more than three years after breaching a decade-long Sexual Offences Prevention Order on five occasions.

John McDougall, from Irvine, was sentenced at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week, having previously been found guilty of four offences after trial and having pled guilty to a fifth charge.

McDougall, who is currently a prisoner at HMP Barlinnie, is a convicted rapist with a record of sex offences dating back 17 years.

He was given a Sexual Prevention Order for 10 years in February last year following a 15-year stint behind bars.

The order prevented McDougall from contacting any adult female unknown to him unless she is accompanied by another adult and from communicating with any woman under the age of 18 unless unavoidable.

He was also required to inform police within 48 hours of any relationship with any woman in person or online and to make available for inspection any electronic communication device, such as a phone or computer, and to not delete his internet history.

But McDougall breached his order within days of being released from prison when he bought alcohol for two 14-year-old girls.

He was subsequently jailed for 15 months last May.

McDougall, 37, found himself back at court again recently on trial for breaching the order a further four times.

He also admitted to breaching the order on one occasion on March 28 of this year.

At an address in Kilbirnie, McDougall communicated with a 61-year-old woman who was not in the company of another person.

He was found guilty after trial on the following charges: Between February 1 and April 17 this year at Braeside, Kilwinning, Dalry Road, Kilwinning, Irvine Railway Station, and on a train travelling from Irvine, McDougall communicated with a 13-year-old girl.

Between March 1 and 26 of this year, McDougall failed without reasonable excuse to inform the Offender Management Unit at Irvine Police Station to declare an association with a 44-year-old woman.

On April 20, McDougall failed without reasonable excuse to allow police officers access to a house in Kilbirnie and to make three mobiles and a tablet available for inspection.

On April 22 at HMP Kilmarnock, McDougall phoned a woman and instructed her to dispose of a mobile phone or similar item in an attempt to avoid detection.

McDougall was sentenced to three years and 116 days in prison.