Man jailed for abducting young girl in Kilmarnock
A man who was cleared of raping three young girls 10 years ago has been jailed for abducting another girl.
Harry Kusz, 36, was convicted of taking the seven-year-old girl and detaining her against her will at Dean Castle Country Park, Kilmarnock, in April.
He was also convicted of breach of the peace and taking three boys, two aged 10 and one aged seven, into woods there and placing them in fear and alarm.
At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, Kusz was jailed for 18 months.
Sheriff Elizabeth McFarlane also ordered that his name be registered as a potential danger to children.
The trial heard that the seven-year-old girl's mother became frantic after realising she was no longer playing outside their house.
After searching the streets and phoning her father, a neighbour told her: "Harry's got her."
The 28-year-old woman had no idea who this was but later saw her child running towards her "looking in shock".
She told the court: "I asked her where she'd been and at that point she just started crying."
The woman said she challenged Kusz and asked him: "What were you doing with my wean? Why were you taking my wean?"
She added: "He came up to me and his face completely changed. I've never seen anyone look so angry."
Kusz had accepted being at the scene where the incidents took place with his two dogs but denied all the allegations.
Following his conviction it emerged that he was cleared in 2006 of raping three girls in Ross-shire between 2004 and 2005.
He was found not guilty of one charge and the other two allegations were not proven.
Six other charges, including having sex with an underage girl and lewd and libidinous behaviour, were also found not proven.
The rapes were said to have taken place in various rural settings in Wester Ross between 2004 and 2005.