A DUMBARTON pervert has been found guilty of sexually assaulting two girls and taking secret video recordings of them.

John Ruth, listed as a prisoner in Greenock, had denied charges including possession of indecent images and directing sexual communications at a teenager.

The 40-year-old has been held in custody since earlier in the court process and was returned to prison to await sentencing.

On July 10, a jury unanimously convicted Ruth of seven charges after a trial at Dumbarton Sheriff Court.

He was guilty of possession of indecent photos or pseudo-photos of children between November 6, 2022, and February 24, 2023, at a property in Dumbarton and elsewhere.

He also took or permitted to be taken or made indecent images of a child.

On February 3, 2023, he sexually assaulted a 15-year-old, touching her breasts and made a sexualised comment to her about performing oral sex.

The next day, he encouraged a nine-year-old girl to touch her privates and made sexualised comments to her and discussed masturbation with her.

He sexually assaulted the same girl that day and repeatedly touched her on the privates.

And he hid his mobile phone in a bathroom and set it to record a video of the girl using the lavatory.

And on February 5, he hid his phone again and recorded a video of a 15-year-old girl drying herself after using the shower.

Earlier in the trial Sheriff Maxwell Hendry had found Ruth not guilty of taking photos of the nine-year-old girl's private parts under her clothing between November 6 and 21, 2022. He was also not guilty of recording a video up the skirt of the girl on February 11, 2023.

Ruth was put on the sex offenders register in the interim and he will be sentenced on August 5.