A PERVERT who sent a series of disgusting messages to someone he thought was a 13-year-old schoolgirl has been spared a prison sentence.

Mark McCaig, 39, was given a maximum 300-hour community payback work order and placed under social work supervision for three years instead of being sent to jail.

McCaig was caught in an undercover online police sting.

The former Morton in the Community coach used social media platform Kik to unwittingly communicate with a female officer who posed as a child called 'Kaitlin'.

Going by the name of 'Chrisyboy80', McCaig, of Greenock's Murdieston area, typed out a catalogue of texts that are too vile to publish.

In other messages, sent between April 1 and 30 last year, he wrote: "I love underage girls that dress like little tarts."

McCaig also stated: "I got a girlfriend at home and one who lives 20 miles away — the one that lives 20 miles away is 14."

He told the 'girl': "I so wanna be your first kiss...we can go a walk and people will think I'm your dad."

The Telegraph revealed last month how McCaig previously trained under 12s youngsters in his role with Morton in the Community.

One dad said: "To think that he had access to youngsters, both boys and girls, by becoming a community football coach is chilling."

McCaig had passed all Disclosure Scotland requirements for working with young people prior to his offending behaviour being uncovered.

His coaching involvement was immediately terminated after police contacted Morton in the Community.

A spokesperson for the organisation said last month: "There was no suggestion then, and there is no suggestion now, that any criminality had taken place within the context of Mr McCaig's involvement with Morton in the Community."

McCaig will remain on the Sex Offenders Register for the duration of his 36-month monitoring period.