A MARRIED pervert has been placed on the sex offenders' register after being convicted of propositioning a schoolgirl for sex while she was in class.

Victor Trowell, from Alloa, was convicted of sending the 14-year-old a lurid message, offering her money to sleep with him.

He had also been charged with asking the girl to kick him in the groin in exchange for cash, of intentionally touching her sexually and attempting to film her in the shower.

However, these charges were dropped by prosecutors.

Trowell appeared for trial at Alloa Sheriff Court on Wednesday, when details of his activities were unveiled.

While the youngster was in school in January last year, he sent her text message which read: "Wanna earn some cash?"

When she replied, asking how much, Trowell said "10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 quid".

And when the girl asked: "What do I have to do, like?" he replied "Me. Do me?"

He then asked if she was alone.

Giving evidence in tears from behind a screen, the girl said: "I took it to mean sex with him."

The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said that she had known Trowell for a number of years.

Though they had been living in the same town at the time of the incident, the court heard that Trowell had moved.

The 41-year-old was to said to have displayed sexual behaviour towards the girl – which she felt was wrong – when she was about 13.

She said the text messages she received in class, on the afternoon of January 27, had seemed "unusual" and she found them "upsetting" so she told a teacher.

The school told her mother and the police were called in. Trowell was then questioned and immediately left the girl's town.

Trowell, now of Smithfield Loan, denied a charge of propositioning an under-age female for sex.

He claimed in evidence he had simply been asking the girl to cook him a meal, but prosecutor Ruairidh Ferguson argued it was "blatant" that he had been asking the girl to have sex with him.

Finding him guilty of the charge after summary trial, Sheriff David Mackie said it was a "very troubling case" and he had taken time to make "a very careful analysis of the evidence".

He said the girl was "extremely vulnerable and emotionally fragile" and at one point had needed to take a break in giving her evidence in order to compose herself.

The sheriff said: "I believed her, and found her to be an honest witness. I hope that is conveyed to her."

Branding Trowell a liar, insofar as he had maintained from the outset that the text exchange had been about asking the girl to make dinner.

However, this claim was rejected by the sheriff who noted Trowell had made no mentioned of that during the initial text messages being exchanged.

He said: "This gives the lie to your innocent explanation."

Sheriff Mackie then added that Trowell's messages in general had a "coy and flirtatious tone" and placed him on the sex offenders' register.

He then released him on bail for the preparation of a criminal justice social work report, and ordered he reappear for sentencing next month.