A JOHNSTONE schoolboy was left in floods of tears after a man tried to coax him out of a playpark and into woods, a court has heard.

The nine-year-old boy said he was left “frightened” following an incident at the park near Elm Drive (pictured above) last month.

He made the claims as he gave evidence at the Paisley Sheriff Court trial of 36-year-old Owen David Beaton.

Beaton, of Cedar Avenue, Johnstone, is accused of trying to get two boys, who can’t be named for legal reasons, to leave the park with him.

Prosecutors claim he tried to get the youngsters to leave the area on Saturday, June 10, in breach of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.

The charge relating to the children, aged nine and 10, states that he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm, by approaching them within the playpark and asking them to leave with him.

Giving evidence via video link, the nine-year-old boy said he was playing football in the park at about 7.30pm on the night in question when he saw a man approaching other youngsters there.

The boy said he saw the man telling other kids to go into the woods with him, before asking him to go too.

He added: “I saw him watching them. He just said ‘come with me and bring the ball to the woods.’ He said it to the the other boys.

“They picked up the ball and came closer to him because they didn’t hear it.

“He said ‘right, you lot, come with me to the woods.’

“They ignored him and started playing football again.

“He was walking to me and he said ‘come with me and bring your ball to the woods.’

“I was scared. I said ‘no’ to him and played football.

“He just said it again to me and I just ignored him again.

“I felt frightened.

“I think he was a wee bit wobbly and drunk.”

When asked by procurator fiscal depute Maureen McGovern if he had been crying because of what had happened, the boy replied: “No but when I came home I was.

“It’s because I thought he was going to take me.”

And, when asked if he could be mixed up about what had happened and that Beaton had actually asked him for a kick of his ball, the schoolboy replied: “No. He said ‘bring your ball and come with me to the woods.’

“I said no.”

Beaton is also charged with assaulting two police officers after being arrested over the claims and taken to a police station.

Prosecutors claim he broke Section 90(1)(a) of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 on two occasions - firstly by attempting to headbutt PC Jamie Mahindru and then by trying to headbutt PC Graeme Hume.

It is alleged that both of these incidents took place at Govan Police Office.

Beaton, who is currently remanded in custody, maintains his innocence, denying all of the charges against him.

The trial, before Sheriff Tom McCartney, continues.