A SEX offender who pleasured himself on a bus in front of two girls and was then ordered to stay home the same day lockdown was announced has now been let off after breaching court orders.

Michael Reid, 37, returned to court last week for failing to update police with personal details after dodging jail for the self-abusing sex act as he drank in front of two 12-year-olds on the top-deck of the Number 11 bus back in 2019.

Kilwinning man Reid, now of Elm Park, Ardrossan, was previously made to sign on as a sex offender and placed under supervision for two years.

He was also ordered to stay home in the evenings back on Monday, March 23, 2020 – the morning lockdown was first announced.

The disgusted dad of one of the girls said: “I think the sentence is a bit ridiculous, especially since everybody has got to stay in the house anyway. A tag seems a bit irrelevant in the current situation.

"The guy is basically getting away with it – being on a register is a bit of a cop out. Everybody is on a tag just now."

And when he appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week he was admonished and dismissed after admitting to the breach of his notification requirements.

We previously reported how Reid looked at the girls while performing the sex act, then paused when new passengers boarded.

Whilst they were conversing, the accused kept looking at them and smiling and at one point intervened in their conversation

His then defence solicitor Brian Holliman said: “The remorse, embarrassment and shame he feels in relation to the offence is genuine and he recognises and acknowledges the impact on the complainers.”