A FOOT fetishist who got his kicks from tickling the toes of a seven-year-old girl has been ordered to attend sex offender treatment for three years.

Kevin Burt pushed the child over, pulled her tights down to her toes, and tickled her feet "with some force" at his former home in Tillicoultry.

The 27-year-old later admitted to police officers that he had a "foot fetish" but denied there had been a sexual motivation behind his behaviour.

Earlier this year, he had his sentence postponed as the court had to instruct an expert who knows enough about his perversion to examine him.

Burt then appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court today (Wednesday, March 30) and was made subject to the three-year community payback order.

During which time, he will be kept under social work supervision and will complete the Making Changes, Moving Forward programme developed for sex offenders by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Prison Service.

Burt, now of Tullibody, Clackmannanshire, pleaded guilty in December last year to sexually assaulting and injuring the seven-year-old girl by pushing her and tickling her, and was placed on the sex offenders' register.

The offence took place about 5.30pm on April 10, 2015.

Prosecutor Lindsey Brooks said the incident occurred after the victim, and several other children around the same age, had been playing in the street near where Burt then lived.

They decided to "go and find" Burt, and rang his doorbell and went in.

Burt pushed the seven year old girl on the body, causing her to fall to the floor, and pulled down her tights, though he did not expose her private parts.

He then tickled her feet roughly.

Mrs Brooks said: "The child described it as being very sore. She was upset by it.

"She asked one of the other children to get him to stop. The other child described asking him to stop."

The child told her mother the same evening what had happened, and her mother notified police.

She was interviewed the following day, and Burt was detained and taken to Stirling police station.

The youngster was found to have a "minor bruise" from falling when she was pushed.

Mrs Brooks added: "He was interviewed and he admitted that he had what he described as a 'foot fetish', but denied sexual motivation and couldn't explain what he meant by a foot fetish."

Imposing the three-year order, Sheriff Wyllie Robertson told Burt: "This is an alternative to custody, and if you breach it, that's what will be considered."