A MAN has pleaded guilty to distributing indecent images of children through an app on his mobile phone.

Robert Jackson, of Mount Hope, New Cumnock admitted to the offence, where he did distribute and/or show indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children on May 13, 2016 at Welton Road, Mauchline.

The 26-year-old appeared before Sheriff Mhari MacTaggart at Ayr Sheriff Court last week.

Depute Fiscal, Jason Bell, explained: “At around 5pm on the X76 bus from Kilmarnock Bus Station to Mauchline, a passenger saw another male passenger get off at a stop in Mauchline. The passenger noted he had left a blue mobile phone and it had ran out of battery, who then took it home to charge in the hope to find the owner.

“When it was charged, they found a video, which showed a female wearing pyjamas dancing and a small boy, aged between seven and nine, who grabbed the woman by the hips.

“In the video she pushed the boy and grabbed his trousers, revealing his body parts.

“The handset was handed into Cumnock Police Station and with further investigation, another video was discovered, showing a naked male with a two-year-old child, touching his private parts.

Further enquiries found that both videos had been shared through an app called ‘WhatsApp’ under a username.

“The accused’s name was found through the Facebook application on the phone and he was traced and detained.

“The accused confirmed that the username was his and he had accepted that he had left his phone on the bus.

“When he was questioned about the two videos, he said he was given them through Whatsapp and he had forwarded them – he thought that he had deleted them.”

Sheriff MacTaggart deferred Jackson’s sentence for a full risk assessment and a criminal justice social work report as well as a sex offender’s notification.

Defence solicitor Mr Duffy, was speaking on Jackson’s behalf for Tony Currie, and he agreed with Sheriff MacTaggart decision.

With bail continued, he will appear in court next month.