An Irvine man has appeared in court charged with sending indecent messages to 'girls' - who were in fact undercover police.

Martin McMillan, 30, denied eight separate charges when he appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court this week.

He is accused of sending indecent messages to a recipient he believed to be a 12-year-old girl from an address in Sophia Crescent on various occasions between May 17 and June 12, 2021.

It's claimed that he attempted to make the recipient look at lewd, inappropriate and sexual images of himself, and of him performing a sex act, for his gratification or for causing humiliation, alarm or distress.

But the charge states that the 'girl' was in fact an undercover police officer from England, referred to in the allegation as 'officer Ria'.

It’s claimed he sent more lewd or sexually inappropriate messages to a second female undercover cop, ‘officer Maria', from June 2 to November 3, 2021 – who he also believed to be a girl of 12.

A third charge alleges that Mr McMillan sent indecent footage of himself performing a sex act to another undercover policewoman, referred to as 'officer Lily' - but who it's alleged he believed to be a 13-year-old girl - between June 21 and 25 that year.

And a fourth charge accuses him of attempting to communicate in an indecent way with someone he believed to be another girl of 12 - referred to in the charge as 'officer Emma'.

 

A further charge accuses Mr McMillan of sending lewd sexual communications to another woman, who it's claimed he also believed to be a 12-year-old girl, between October 1 and November 4, 2021.

Mr McMillan is also alleged to have taken, permitted to have taken or made indecent sexual images of children between October 16 and November 3, 2021, and to have been in possession of, and to have distributed or shown, the same types of image.

 

 

He pleaded not guilty to all the charges when his case called this week.

Mr McMillan's bail was continued and he will return to court at a later date.