A CREEP has been ordered to carry out unpaid work after harassing a woman he met through a dating site.

Allan Marsh, 46, of Stevenston, bombarded Ayr woman Carol Mackin with songs and texts despite her shunning him after a first date on June 4.

Iain Grey, prosecuting, told Ayr Sheriff Court that Marsh sent a “large volume” of texts and songs through Whatsapp despite Ms Mackin saying she didn’t want to be contacted again.

Mr Grey said that Marsh asked for a “second chance” and told Ms Mackin “I will miss you” before making a bizarre lie to try and win her back.

The Fiscal said: “On June 8 at 4am, Ms Mackin received a number of messages from someone reporting to be his (Marsh’s) mother.

“Mr Marsh pretended to be his mother and claimed that he had suffered both liver and kidney failure and was moved to hospital over the weekend. Ms Mackin was distraught by this and felt guilty.

“She made several enquiries to hospital as she was greatly concerned and there were no records of attendance. Mr Marsh claimed this had all been done as a joke.” Mr Grey added that the following day Marsh phoned Ms Macklin and said “I’ve got contacts in the criminal underworld” and “you messed with the wrong guy”, leaving his victim “terrified”.

Marsh’s solicitor Jill Malloy said: “He does seem to accept some responsibility but not a great deal.

"His behaviour was somewhat bizarre, he’s at a loss to explain his behaviour.

“He’s lost his employment, he suffered a period of homelessness and financial difficulty.

“He insists there isn’t any sort of mental health issues.” Sheriff Montgomery added: “It’s entirely unsurprising to me your victim was terrified.

"Cases like this highlight the dangers of dating sites.” Marsh, now believed to be living in Paisley, was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work within six months.