An Angus man who told a seven-year-old girl he wanted to kiss her was placed on the sex offenders register for three years.
Robert Keenan (24), c/o Angus social work department, sat the girl on his knee and told her: “I’d like to kiss you and I would like to go out with you.”
Keenan later told police during an interview that he was tempted to kiss her but refrained because she didn’t look old enough.
As well as being placed on the sex offenders register, Keenan who was supported in court by family and carers was banned from having unsupervised contact with anyone under 17.
Keenan had admitted that on February 2 in a communal front garden, he conducted himself in a disorderly manner, approached a seven-year-old girl, repeatedly picked her up, cradled her in his arms, swung her around, placed her on his knee, wrapped his arms around her stomach and made suggestive remarks to her, all to her fear and alarm, committing a breach of the peace.
The case had previously called at Arbroath before Sheriff Charles McClory. Sheriff McClory had deferred sentence for a social work report and risk assessment to be carried out.
At the time, he refrained from placing Keenan on the sex offenders register until the reports were prepared.
Defence agent Billy Rennie previously told the court his client suffered from myotonic dystrophy, which is a chronic, slow-progressing, highly-variable inherited multi-systematic disorder. He said he also had learning disabilities.
Sheriff Derek Pyle imposed a community payback order for three years with a supervision requirement and banned Keenan from having unsupervised contact with children under 17.
Keenan must also reside only in accommodation approved by his supervising officer and engage with the Tay Project, which runs programmes for adult offenders, convicted of sexual offences.
The sheriff asked Keenan if he understood all the requirements. He replied: “Yes.”