AN ARREST warrant has been issued for a man charged with sending sexually explicit messages to a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.

Bobby McMillan, who is accused of communicating indecently with the decoy child, failed to turn up for a calling of his case at Greenock Sheriff Court on Friday.

Prosecutors claim that the 26-year-old sent messages of a sexually explicit and indecent nature to a person who he thought was aged 13 – but who was in fact an adult female pretending to be the youngster.

It is claimed that McMillan committed the alleged offence on February 9 and 10 last year at a property in Greenock and elsewhere and did so ‘intentionally and for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming’ the reported victim.

McMillan, who has a Glasgow address in court papers, is also charged with attempting to cause the same ‘child’ to participate in sexual activity by instructing her to touch her private parts, perform a sex act and touch her breasts.

Defence solicitor Edel McGinty told the court that she is “fairly confident that the matter will be resolved” by way of a plea deal.

Sheriff Colin Pettigrew issued a warrant to apprehend following McMillan’s non-attendance.