August 2020

Beast hunted out of Ayrshire after residents rounded on paedophile

A paedophile had to be saved by police after vigilantes turned up to force him from his flat.

Vile Jamie Cunningham,29, had been put in a rented property in Troon after being hounded out of Maybole.

Now the paedophile has been switched to yet another secret address after residents in Gillies Street,  discovered his horrible past.

We can reveal he has now been moved out of Ayrshire.

Officers were called on Wednesday after an angry crowd gathered in the street . . . just round the corner from the police station.

They got him out a close door which leads into communal gardens.

Gillies Street is full of  families and schoolchildren visit the Spar at the top of the street every day.

Cunningham, originally from Girdle Toll in Irvine and a regular at the Magnum Ice Rink, has been jailed in the past for his twisted interest in children.

Five years ago he groomed two girls aged 11 and 12 on Facebook, making inappropriate and sexual comments to his victims.

He dodged a jail term – but he kept up his lewd behaviour and broke a court order demanding he stay away from children.

Cunningham made contact with a 10-month-old baby in Stevenston who had been out with girls aged 11 and 12. Later that night he attended a fireworks display with them.

He was jailed for seven months for twice breaking the sex offences order which banned him from direct or indirect contact with any child under 16.

Previously he had been jailed for six months after being caught with two mobile phones, which again breached the court order.

Last year he was back in court – this time at Ayr – after being arrested in the town’s George Street.

He faced two charges of communicating with an under 16-year-old.

On Wednesday, Troon locals were shocked he’d been housed there.

One woman said: “He has been moved on, if he hadn’t been God help him.

“Who the hell thought it a good idea to put a beast near children and schools? This piece of filth has four convictions.”Others had already spotted him in the town and on the beach and “thought there was something strange about him.”

Police Chief Inspector Brian Anderson said:“We received a report of a crowd gathered outside a property on Gillies Street, Troon, at 4.45pm on Wednesday,  August 12.    

“Officers attended and found the crowd to be peaceful.  They engaged with officers in attendance and no police action was required.”

November 2015

Sex offender sent back to prison after admitting breaching court order

A sex offender breached an order meant to keep him away from children for the second time – just weeks after being released from prison.

Jamie Cunningham, 24, has admitted having contact with a 10-month-old child on Sunday, November 1.

The offence came not long after Cunningham, who was recently residing in Stevenston’s Hayocks Road, was freed from prison after serving a sentence for breaching the terms of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

It was reported in August that Cunningham was jailed for six months after being caught with two mobile phones which the order prohibits.

Earlier in the year, Cunningham, formerly of Irvine, dodged a jail term for sending a string of lewd Facebook messages to two girls aged 11 and 12.

Appearing from custody at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court last week, Cunningham admitted having contact with the child on November 1 in Stevenston.

As per the terms of the Sexual Offences Prevention Order, Cunningham is not supposed to have any direct or indirect contact with any child who is under the age of 16 other than inadvertent or unavoidable contact unless supervised by an adult over 21.

Cunningham appeared at court last week and pled guilty to the breach. Bail was refused and Cunningham was remanded in custody until later this month.

April 2015

IRVINE pervert who sent lewd messages to underage girls has narrowly avoided a jail sentence

Jamie Cunningham, of Maxwell Green, sent a string of Facebook messages to two girls, aged 11 and 12 respectively, in November last year.

On various occasions between November 7 and November 9, the 23-year-old admitted sending messages of an inappropriate and sexual nature to the 11-year-old girl.

Cunningham also admitted sending similar messages to the 12-year-old girl on November 7.

Cunningham previously pled guilty to the offences at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court before the production of the Criminal Justice Social Work report.

After listening carefully to the mitigation from defence solicitor Gillian Swanney and considering the contents of the report, presiding Sheriff Brian Murphy believed he could deal with Cunningham in a manner just short of custody.

He said: “Given the nature of these offences, in particular charges two and three, and the information within the Criminal Justice Social Work report, it seems there is a real public risk.

“I have to put in place what I can in terms of restrictions.”

Cunningham was placed on a Community Payback Order with three years supervision as a direct alternative to custody.

He was placed on the Sex Offender’s Register for the same period of his supervision and must not directly or indirectly contact any child under 16 unless supervised by someone over 21.

Cunningham must not possess more than one mobile phone and computer and cannot own or possess any device without providing the device’s serial number to the police.

If the police wish, monitoring software may also be installed in the device.

Cunningham must seek written permission from the police to use the internet and cannot use a phone number or email address without supplying police with the number and address.

In addition, Cunningham cannot install any encryption or third-party applications without the approval of the police.