A DANGEROUS sex attacker who preys on young girls in the street has been jailed for stalking a seven-year-old girl in Paisley.

Christopher Murphy, who was previously placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years for his crimes, followed the youngster, who was with her gran and can’t be named for legal reasons, just a few days before Christmas.

The 31-year-old spotted the girl and her gran in Paisley on December 16, 2016.

He began following them, walking behind them and even stopped for a rest when they looked in a shop window, before setting off again in pursuit of them when they began walking.

The gran and granddaughter were strangers to Murphy – and therefore had no idea he previously sexually assaulted two other young girls in the street.

In 2009 he pounced on a 14-year-old girl while she was out jogging and, in 2012, he attacked a nine-year old as her shocked mum looked on.

Despite not knowing about Murphy’s horrific past, and the threat he posed to he granddaughter, the seven-year-old’s gran became suspicious when she realised he was tailing them.

Murphy, who first spotted them at Paisley Gilmour Street train station, followed them to the town’s Forbes Place, via Paisley Abbey.

The worried gran managed to draw the attention of a passing police officer and alert him to Murphy’s presence, leading to the case against him.

Last month he struck a deal with Paisley Sheriff Court prosecutors to plead guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm, in breach of Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, by repeatedly following the strangers through the town.

When he did so, claims that he had repeatedly stared at them, “did maintain observations” on them and left them scared and alarmed for their safety, were dropped by prosecutors.

Sentence was deferred for background reports and Murphy returned to the dock this week to learn his fate.

Defence solicitor Gordon Ritchie pointed out that there was no suggestion there was any sexual element to Murphy’s crime, despite his previous offending.

The lawyer explained: “There was no approach to specifically approach them or to be in close proximity to them.

“They spoke to the first police officer they saw in the street - they were not distressed enough to call the police.”

As he jailed Murphy for two years, reduced from 30 months, Sheriff David Pender said: “The Crown was neutral about whether or not this was an offence with a significant sexual element.

“Looking at your precious convictions I would’ve probably come to the conclusion it was – but it has to be looked at in isolation. This offence was not a sexual offence.”

And he also made him the subject of a Supervised Release Order, which will see him monitored for a year once released from custody, adding: “I consider you are a danger to the public.”

In 2009, Murphy stalked a 14-year-old as she was out running, after staring at her – then sexually assaulted her.

Murphy, then of Birkhall Avenue, Inchinnan, was placed on probation for three years for the attack.

And in 2012, he attacked another girl in the street, this time in front of her horrified mum.

He was jailed for 16 months, placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register for 10 years and given a three-year extended sentence.