A JOHNSTONE man who left a schoolboy in tears amid fears he was going to snatch him from a play park and take him in to woods has been jailed for the offence.

Owen David Beaton asked children to leave the park, in Elm Drive, in June – under the guise of playing football.

Beaton, 36, preyed on the children as they played a common football game known as “Cuppy” after watching Scotland playing England on TV.

Beaton denied asking kids aged nine and 10 to leave the park and bring their footballs with them to the woods.

The Cedar Avenue man claimed, through his lawyers, that he had actually asked for a kick of their ball on the same night as the Hampden clash.

But the nine-year-old boy told Beaton’s Paisley Sheriff Court trial he was left in tears amid fears he was going to be snatched.

The youngster, who can’t be named for legal reasons, said he was left “scared” and “frightened” following Beaton’s attempts to get him to leave the park.

The boy said he saw Beaton telling other kids to go in to the woods with him before also asking him to go.

The boy explained: "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 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 he could be mixed up about what happened, and if Beaton had actually asked him for a kick of his ball, the boy replied: “No. He said, ‘bring your ball and come with me to the woods’. I said, ‘no’.”

The 10-year-old Beaton asked to leave the park also gave evidence in the trial, saying he had been watching the Scotland game but gave up at half time as the match, which ended 2-2, was goalless.

He said: “He went and spoke to other children in the park and then came back and stared at us.

“He kept on telling us to come with him and bring our ball. He probably did it like three times. He just said, ‘bring your football with you’.”

Following the boys’ evidence, Beaton was convicted of trying to get the pair to leave the play park on Saturday, June 10, in breach of Section 38(1) of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010.

The charge states he behaved in a threatening or abusive manner, which was likely to cause a reasonable person to suffer fear or alarm, by “approach[ing] children within the play park there and ask[ing] them to leave with” him.

Beaton was also convicted of assaulting two police officers after being arrested over the claims and taken to the police station, by attempting to headbutt PC Jamie Mahindru and then trying to headbutt PC Graeme Hume, both at Govan Police Office.

Beaton was remanded in custody after being convicted by Sheriff Tom McCartney and sentence was deferred for background reports, with solicitors acting for Beaton asking if he could be placed on a Community Payback Order.

But Sheriff Tom McCartney ruled he had to cage Beaton for the offence, and locked him up for eight months.

As he did so, the sheriff said: “I’m dealing with an offence of, firstly, behaving in a threatening or abusive manner and, secondly, of assaulting police officers by attempting to headbutt them.

“In deciding how to deal with it I note that in January 2016 you received a Community Payback Order, as a direct alternative to prison, for similar offences. In March 2016 you were fined for similar offending.

“In February 2017 you again received a Community Payback Order for offences in terms of Section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010, again for behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, and you were actually subject to that Community Payback Order when committing these offences.

“Having regard to that, all that’s been said on your behalf and the nature of these offences, I conclude there is no alternative but to impose a period of imprisonment.”