Teenager detained over rapes of under-age girls in Ayrshire

A teenage rapist who had sex with under-age girls after meeting them on Facebook has been ordered to be detained for more than three years.

Mark Woods, from Stewarton, East Ayrshire, regularly met up with the three youngsters - including one who was only 12.

A judge heard how the 19-year-old had sex with her after initially playing computer games.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Woods admitted raping the 12-year-old.

He also pleaded guilty to charges of having under-age sex with the two other girls.

Woods was sentenced to three years and four months and will be supervised for a further three years on his release.

The crimes took place between April 2015 and March this year.

A hearing was told how Woods struck up an "online friendship" with the 12-year-old.

She later travelled to meet Woods at the home he shared with his parents.

After one of their meetings, which took place over eight months, the youngster had to visit a sexual health clinic to get a morning-after pill.

The court also heard Woods got the schoolgirl to take an indecent video and photos of herself.

The second child - aged 13 initially - received a friend request on Facebook from Woods in September 2015.

He went on to have sexual contact with the youngster on an almost "weekly basis" for the next 14 months.

This happened at both Woods' home and where the girl lived in Ayrshire.

The final girl was aged 13-14 when she got to know Woods via the social media site.

In November 2015, they started regularly sending private messages to each other and she told him she was 14.

Despite this, Woods went on to ask the girl if she wanted to have sex with him.

Woods first faced charges in September 2016 and was later freed on bail by a sheriff.

But he flouted the order by contacting one of the girls and was remanded in March this year.

Brian McConnachie QC, defending, said Woods had realised his actions were "wrong".

Lord Beckett told Woods: "I have come to the conclusion that there is no other suitable sentence than one of detention."

Woods will be on the sex offenders list indefinitely.