A SEX offender is behind bars as he awaits sentence for asking a woman to delete messages from him – just a few months after committing a similar offence and being warned he faced jail if he did it again.

Scott Wylie, admitted breaching his strict sex offender orders by deleting messages and contacting the woman.

Last year the Advertiser reported how Wylie was spared jail after being caught deleting messages from his phone in defiance of a sexual offences order over almost 10 months in 2021 at his home in Wardlaw Crescent, Loans, Troon.

For that offence he was handed 200 hours of unpaid work and told that any further breaches of the order would likely result in a jail sentence.

But he appeared from custody at Ayr Sheriff Court last week for sentencing on charges of deleting his own messages – and asking a woman to delete hers.

The procurator fiscal depute said: “On December 1 last year police reviewed a screenshot violation.

“Police were contacted by social work informing of the messages.

“On January 11 police attended his home address on a home visit and his mobile phone was examined.

“Police attended expecting to observe the chat, but no evidence was received, so suspected the communication was deleted.

“The following day they attended [the woman’s] house advising her phone needed to be examined.

“No evidence was seen, however investigation showed a recent link to another phone. The Facebook app was also looked at.

“The witness advised she had been in contact with the accused since November 29 and, against social work advice, continued contact.

“Thereafter she advised he contacted her saying ‘the police are asking me questions’ and that he advised her to delete messages.”

Wylie was cautioned and charged; he told police he’d advised the woman to delete the exchange from her phone “so she wouldn’t get in trouble as well”.

Defence solicitor John Gallagher requested bail for his client, but Sheriff Shirley Foran refused the motion and remanded Wylie in custody pending background reports.