A SALTCOATS man has appeared in court charged with an 11-year-long campaign of sexual abuse towards two primary school children at a house in the town.

Gilbert Malcolm Lissenden is said to have repeatedly abused the pair at a property in Lochlea Road, Saltcoats, between October 1990 and April 2001.

Lissenden, 60, faces two charges – one in relation to a girl and one in relation to a boy.

Prosecutors claim he regularly sexually abused the girl, who is now 35 and can’t be named for legal reasons, between October 1990 and October 1995.

He is said to have used “lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour” towards the girl, when she was aged between seven and 11, by repeatedly touching her private parts underneath her clothes.

And he is said to have abused the boy, who is now 29, on a number of occasions between April 1993 and April 2001 at the same property, when he was as young as four.

Court papers claim Lissenden also used “lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour” towards the youngster, when he was aged between four and 11, by repeatedly touching his private parts inappropriately – and abusing him with “unknown objects”.

Lissenden made no plea to the two charges against him when he appeared in the dock at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court earlier this month.

He was represented by defence solicitor Neil McPherson during the behind-closed-doors hearing, before Sheriff Michael Hanlon.

Procurator Fiscal Depute Frankie Morgan asked for special bail conditions to be imposed banning Lissenden from approaching or contacting his alleged victims.

He is also banned from having any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16 unless accompanied by another adult.

Sheriff Hanlon released Lissenden, who now lives in Louth, Lincolnshire, on bail with the special conditions requested by the prosecutor.

He then continued the case for prosecutors to investigate the allegations further.

No future court dates have been set but Lissenden is expected to go on trial before a jury later this year.