A MUSSELBURGH man has been found guilty of having sex with two underage girls following a three-day trial at Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Declan Alexander, of Bellfield Court, stood trial on indictment at the city court last week, where he had denied a total of five charges against him.

Alexander was accused of having sex with two 14-year-old girls on several occasions at various addresses in Edinburgh and Musselburgh.

The 22-year-old was also facing allegations of sexually assaulting one of the youngsters, possessing cannabis and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner during an alleged incident where he was said to have struck a door and uttered threats of violence.

The jury sat for three days at Edinburgh Sheriff Court listening to evidence from the two girls and other witnesses describing the alleged events, which were said to have all taken place between March 2017 and September last year.

Following the evidence, the jury returned majority guilty verdicts on two charges where they said Alexander had sex with the two 14-year-old girls.

He was acquitted of the sexual assault charge, along with the drug possession and threatening behaviour allegations.

Sheriff Alistair Noble allowed Alexander to be released on bail ahead of next month’s sentencing hearing and placed him on the sex offenders’ register for a term still to be determined.

Alexander was found guilty of having sex with a 14-year-old girl at two addresses in Edinburgh on various occasions between February 1 and March 31 last year.

He was also found guilty of a similar offence against a second 14-year-old girl at an address in Musselburgh between March 1, 2017, and September 30 last year.

A not guilty verdict was returned on a charge of sexually assaulting one of the girls by kissing and sucking her neck while she was asleep at an address in Edinburgh between February 1 and March 30 last year.

Alexander was also acquitted of allegations of possessing cannabis on various occasions between February 1 and March 30 last year, and to repeatedly kicking and striking a door and uttering threats of violence at an address in Musselburgh on October 30 last year.