A SEX offender who tried to meet a child outside a leisure centre was fined after being caught using two fake names online without informing authorities.

Garry Allmark, 50, returned to court last week after breaching his strict court orders between February and October last year.

Allmark failed to inform police he was using the name ‘Billy Mark’ within three days during this time despite his sex offender supervision conditions.

The former Irvine and Three Towns resident, now of Waterside Street, Largs, was also caught out using the name ‘Joe Bell’ between July and October last year.

When he returned to Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week [Monday, August 29] his defence solicitor Brian Holliman told Sheriff Murdoch MacTaggart the breaches were down to a ‘lack of understanding’ and ‘not nefarious or sinister’.

He added: “He has fully taken advice from police and social workers.

“It is a by and large positive [social work] report – clearly he has found the last three years difficult.”

Sheriff Murdoch Mactaggart said he would deal with the matter in a fine of £200 with a £20 contribution to the Scottish Government victim surcharge fund.

Allmark was previously caught grooming what he thought was a 12-year-old girl – after being stung by an online group Scotland Anti Predator Alliance (SAPA).

The group snared Allmark online while he was living at a flat in Ardrossan with his wife and eight-year-old son.

They then arranged to meet him and confronted him over the vile messages he had sent to one of their decoys during a meeting at Harvie’s.

We reported earlier this year how two Irvine-based Team Shades paedophile-hunters admitted causing him fear and alarm after live-streaming the offender and turning up at his address in Aberfeldy Terrace, Irvine back in April 27 last year.

After Allmark was charged back in 2019, The Procurator Fiscal Depute said: “Between March 30, 2018, and May 5, 2018, the accused had been in communication with a person whom he assumed was a child under the age of 13.

“The communication he had was, in fact, with the Scottish Anti Predator Alliance.

“Following their contact with the accused, the Alliance contacted police and they provided them with hard copies of messages which had been exchanged between the accused and the ‘child’. “Police, on receipt of the evidence, arrested the accused.”

Allmark was taken to Saltcoats Police Office where he was interviewed, confirming to police officers that “he had been in conversation with a female whom he believed to be 12 years of age.”

Miss Cunningham explained: “The majority were not all of a sexual nature however, when taken together, appear to be an attempt by the accused to groom the 12-year-old, and there were items of a sexual nature within them. ”

Allmark, who was assisted in court by a sign language interpreter, nodded during his police interview to confirm he’d had sexual conversations with the ‘child’ and that he knew it was illegal, but insisted he was “not a paedophile.”

Allmark was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register, on a Community Payback Order which saw him supervised by social worker for three years.