An oil industry engineer threatening to decapitate an eight-year-old girl.

David Murray called the child's mother from his car and told her he was on his way to cut her daughter's "head clean off".

The 33-year-old also threatened to stab the woman and cut the child "into pieces".

Murray admitted the threatening behaviour during a trial at Perth Sheriff Court on Friday.

Fiscal depute Lisa Marshall told the court: "The accused said he was driving his car and making his way to her address.

"During that call he said, 'I'm going to stab you and your daughter, cut your daughter into pieces and I'm going to cut her head clean off.'

"He continued communicating aggressively and was threatening her and her daughter until she hung up the call."

Sheriff William Wood remanded Murray, of Methven in Perthshire, for reports and said: "These observations were of a quite horrendous nature."

Murray will be sentenced next month.

In 2013, Murray was jailed after he admitted threatening to kill his sister's horse during a bid to extort £3000 from her.

He was locked up for more than two years after he also admitted threatening to stab and shoot his sister if she failed to help him pay off his drug debts.