The dad of a convicted child rapist has appeared in court for assaulting a police officer.

Alan Dryden appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week and admitted to pushing a police officer who had visited his home to check his sex offender son’s mobile phone.

His son Gary Dryden raped a 12-year-old girl and got her pregnant after making contact with her on Facebook in September 2016 and eventually having sex with her seven times.

The-then 17-year-old was sentenced to two years and 10 months in March this year.

Before he was jailed the court heard police from the Offender Management Unit – which deals specifically with convicted sex offenders and tracks their movements, mobile phone and internet use – had visited Dryden’s Castlepark home to check Gary’s phone.

However the rapist refused to hand it over and a struggle between Gary, his mother and 51-year-old father Alan ensued.

Fiscal Vicky McMillan said: “Two officers from the Offender Management Unit were at the locus where the accused resides, in relation to the accused’s son.

“An incident happened with the accused’s son. As a result he was arrested. His mother was present at the house.

“As a result of what happened with the son she was asked to hand over a mobile phone. Due to her refusal to do so, police continued to make requests.

“At this point, the accused came in to the living room and saw his wife with the mobile phone behind her. On seeing this he charged towards the police officers. He grabbed one of the officers by the body and pushed him on to the couch.”

Following the incident both father and son were arrested and afterwards Royal Mail worker Alan Dryden told officers: “I apologise. I overreacted.”

Graeme Cunningham, representing Dryden Snr said his client had not known the plain clothed officers were police.

He told the court: “This is a man who has absolutely no record. There’s a significant issue with this police officer, so much so he has been removed from the duties he was performing.

“He is 51-years-old and works full time in Royal Mail sorting office on constant nightshift.

“Police had attended the house for the 18th time in as many weeks. Police were in plain clothes and he was awoken by a commotion downstairs and came down and saw the police in plain clothes, who he did not know, manhandling his wife.”

However, Fiscal Ms McMillan disputed this version of events insisting that Mr Dryden had met the officer in question on “previous occasions” as he was involved with his son’s offender management programme.

However Mr Cunningham retorted: “It’s listed as a common assault because he did not know he was a police officer.”

Sheriff Michael Hanlon adjourned the case until January 28.