A man who flashed two women and a child in the same Irvine underpass five years apart has been jailed.

Stephen Wallace was locked up after a jury at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court found him guilty of two charges.

But the sex offender had his jail term reduced from a starting point of 43 months to just seven months to take account of time he's already spent behind bars.

Wallace, described in court papers as a prisoner at HMP Kilmarnock, had been charged with intentionally engaging in a sexual activity in the presence of a woman and a 12-year-old child on July 18, 2018 by pulling down his trousers, exposing himself and performing a sex act while staring at the woman.

He had also been accused of intentionally engaging in a sexual activity in the presence of a woman in the same underpass on July 3, 2023 by approaching her while she was alone, pulling down his trousers and underwear, exposing himself, performing a sex act and making sexual comments towards her.

Both offences took place in an underpass near Bank Street and Manson Road.

Wallace's lawyer told the court that their client was continuing to deny that he had committed either offence, but knew that a custodial sentence was inevitable. 

They said that Wallace, who had spent nine months on remand for the matter already, had experienced "difficulties throughout his life".

Sentencing, Sheriff George Jamieson said: "Despite your denials, a jury have found you guilty of these serious offences.

"The court has to pass sentence showing disapproval of such offences."

Wallace was sentenced to a total jail term of 43 months, but Sheriff Jamieson said he would reduce that to a term of seven months because Wallace had already been on remand for nine months on each charge.

 

He was also put on the sex offenders register until 2034 and was hit with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will last for the next five years.