An Irvine man has been found guilty of sending texts of a sexual nature to a girl aged 15.

John Barker was found guilty of two of five charges he faced during a trial at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court earlier this week.

Barker had previously tendered pleas of not guilty to all of the charges when he appeared in the dock for the first time back in July.

The 66-year-old was cleared of three charges in relation to sexual assault and of making and possessing indecent images of child abuse.

However Barker, of the town's Hunter Drive, was found guilty of two offences when his trial concluded on Wednesday, October 11.

The offences date back to June 11, 2019, when it was found that - for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming a girl then aged 15 - he sent a sexual written communication to her.

He done so by sending her messages on Facebook Messenger which were of an an inappropriate and sexual nature as well as sending an image depicting a sexual aid device. 

While it was also found that on he behaved in a threatening and abusive manner towards the same girl by placing a sexual aid device on her on June 12, 2019, with the intention that she would find it there.

Following the conclusion of the trial, sentence was deferred to a later date for reports to be gathered.

Barker has been bailed on conditions.