A SHERIFF who is due to sentence two Greenock child sex offenders postponed the already-delayed proceedings for a second time without giving a reason for the move.

Perverts David Love and Gerald McGrory were absent from court after Sheriff Linda Smith instructed court clerks to issue notifications that she would not be dealing with the matters as planned.

Sheriff Smith — who did not preside over the original proceedings — had a week earlier decided to delay decisions on the cases after declaring: "I'm not prepared to be bounced into it."

Following that deferment, which the sheriff said was to 'examine matters in greater detail', she has now further adjourned disposal of the indecent images offences until later this month.

It is the third time that former Greenock scouts leader Love, 31, and McGrory, 62, have had their sentencings put off, following an original delay for a procedural reason.

Love was caught with scores of images of child sexual abuse — including a photo of the rape of a girl thought to be as young as three — after police raided his west end home in 2020.

He sent around 20 indecent images of children to another pervert on Snapchat before police swooped on him in a 7am raid on May 12 that year.

McGrory, who lives in the town centre, had images on his mobile of children — also as young as three — being sexually abused and exploited by adults.

He had engaged in a text message conversation about image sharing with another paedophile over a period of 15 months prior to his arrest.

Giving the reason for her original postponement of sentencing, Sheriff Smith had said: "Clearly there are important issues to be considered and I've only just received the papers and have not had time to consider matters."

At the latest calling of Love's case, Sheriff Smith said to defence lawyer Aidan Gallagher, who also represents McGrory: "I think the clerk indicated to you that I am not in a position to deal with this.

"I believe a date has been identified."

The sheriff further postponed McGrory's sentencing a few minutes later.

Both cases have been adjourned 'ex proprio motu' — an act the court may perform on its own initiative and without any application being lodged — until May 24.