A Newmilns man has been caught sending sexual images to a police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.

Mark Grant, 39, of Strath Crescent, was caught by an undercover cop who had pretended to be a teen girl from Northern Ireland on the 'Fast Flirting' website.

Grant pleaded guilty to two charges when he appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, including attempting to send a video of a male performing a sex act, and attempting to cause a child to view a sexual image.

He also pleaded guilty to asking the girl to dress in school uniform, and to asking her watch him perform a sex act.

The fiscal despite told the court that the undercover officer received messages from a user known as SchoolX, who later changed their name to DaddyX.

The officer told the account that she was 13, and referenced going to get school uniform and stationery.

However, the user went on to ask for videos showing her breasts, and asked her to call him 'dad'.

The officer then gave the account her Snapchat username, and received several missed calls from Grant on the app.

He then told her that he bet she “looked cute” in school uniform, and also sent her videos of a sex act.

Grant was identified as the user behind the account, and a warrant was sought and executed on November 18, 2022.

Officers identified items and backgrounds that matched the Snapchat videos, and Grant was taken to Kilmarnock police office where he confessed he was using both platforms, and that the usernames and chat logs were his.

Grant’s lawyer told the court that his client had not reoffended since the incident, and that he had a history in relation to alcohol abuse.

Sentence was deferred for reports. Grant's bail was continued, and he was placed on the sex offenders register on an interim basis, with the time he will remain on the register to be decided at a later date.