A GOUROCK man who had been charged with assaulting a 15-year-old girl has admitted breaching an order to stay away from her.

Jordan Hayter, 27, was on an undertaking not to approach or contact the teenager after being accused of seizing her by the body and holding her down on a bed on New Year's day last year.

He pleaded guilty at the sheriff court to failing without reasonable excuse to comply with the instruction from police and also to repeatedly seeking to gain entry to a property on Cardwell Road.

Hayter, of Grenville Road, committed the offence at around 11pm on January 22 last year.

Prosecutor Dana Barclay told Greenock Sheriff Court: "The accused was observed by police witnesses attempting to gain entry to the locus.

"The witness identified in the charge arrived in a taxi and was met by the accused at that time.

"He was cautioned and charged and elected to make no reply."

Hayter's plea of not guilty to assaulting the girl was accepted by the Crown.

He had also been charged with repeatedly punching another man to injury, shouting, swearing and making threats of violence and his not guilty pleas to these were also accepted.

Defence lawyer Ellen Macdonald said: "Mr Hayter's ex-partner is the aunt of the girl.

"He had been in a relationship with the aunt for four years and the relationship can be characterised as involving drink and drug misuse.

"Mr Hayter now resides with his parents and has two part-time jobs; one with a local takeaway since last July and he volunteers at a leisure centre in order to gain certain qualifications.

"The reason he attended at the house was out of concern for a two-year-old child and her attendance at nursery."

Sheriff David Pender said: "Given the explanation I will defer sentence for you to be of good behaviour.

"If you are of good behaviour I've marked that you should be admonished, but if not the court will deal with it in another way."

Matters are due to call again in July.