A TULLIBODY man said to have a foot fetish was placed on the sex offenders' register for tickling the toes of a seven-year-old girl.

Kevin Burt (27) appeared at Stirling Sheriff Court today (Tuesday) and plead guilty to sexually assaulting the youngster at his former home in Tillicoultry earlier this year.

He pushed the child over, pulled her tights down to her toes, and tickled her feet "with some force".

Not guilty pleas were accepted by the Crown in relation to three other similar sexual assault allegations.

Prosecutor Lindsey Brooks said the the victim, along with other children around the same age, had been playing in the street on 10 April this year.

They then decided to "go and find" Burt; rang his doorbell and entered his house.

Ms Brooks then said the accused pushed the seven-year-old girl on the body, causing her to fall to the floor, and then pulled down her tights, though he did not expose her private parts.

He then tickled her feet roughly.

Ms 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 incident occurred about 5.30pm and at around 7pm the child told her mother what had happened, and her mother notified police.

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

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

Burt initially denied tickling the girl's feet, and told officers he had just tickled her sides and her back as she was running out of the house.

However, in a later police interview, it was claimed he told officers he had a foot fetish.

Ms Brooks said: "That interview was supposed to be recorded, but didn't record.

"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."

Burt, a security guard, now of Tullibody, also Clackmannanshire, pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting and injuring the seven-year-old girl by pushing her and tickling her.

His not guilty pleas to three other charges, alleging that he had sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy by removing their shoes and socks and tickling their feet at at address in Stirling in July 2015, and another of sexually assaulting and injuring a second seven-year-old girl at his former home in Tillicoultry in April 2015 by tickling her on the body repeatedly, were accepted by the prosecution.

For legal reasons, none of the children can be identified.

Sheriff Wyllie Robertson deferred sentence until 10 February for background reports, including an assessment of the risk that Burt poses to children, and placed him on the Sex Offenders' Register.

He said: "Clearly I cannot dispose of this matter without social work reports."

He told Burt that the length of time he would remain on the register would be determined later.

After the case, police officers stood by as Burt walked to a waiting car, amid fears for his safety from a small knot of bystanders who gathered across the road from the court.