A LINWOOD man accused of sending sexual messages to a schoolgirl can only be ruled unfit to stand trial if he's dead, a court has been told.

Ewen Murray, 56, is said to have hounded the 14-year-old girl over a 10-month period.

Prosecutors claim that, between February and December 2018, Murray, of Clippens Road, repeatedly sent the girl, who can't be named for legal reasons, messages of a sexual and indecent nature.

Court papers allege that he sent the messages "for the purposes of obtaining sexual gratification or of humiliating, distressing or alarming" the youngster.

Murray denies breaching the Sexual Offences (Scotland) Act 2009 through his alleged actions.

The case against him called for the first time in public at Paisley Sheriff Court in November.

After hearing that Murray was pleading not guilty to the single charge and had recently instructed a new firm of solicitors to represent him, the case was adjourned until last month for a further pre-trial hearing to take place.

At that hearing, the case was continued until last week for a further pre-trial hearing to take place.

And, at the latest hearing, defence solicitor Gordon Ritchie explained: "There are two factors which have yet to be determined – one, whether he is fit to stand trial, and I suspect that the answer to that will be that he is.

"The fall-back position is whether he was fit to be interviewed by police at the time of his arrest.

"He has a diagnosis that he is possibly suffering from a mental illness as a result of a blow to his head some years ago.

"This cannot be confirmed other than by post-mortem, which is something we are unable to explore at this time.

"The mental illness sees a lowering of inhibitions and a reduction in the ability to filter inappropriate behaviour.

"That is one of the side-effects of the particular illness, if he has that condition."

Sheriff David Pender assigned a further pre-trial hearing for next month and continued Murray's bail.