AN URGENT review has been called for after a depraved offender abducted and sexually assaulted a child while under supervision.

David Johnston had been released early from prison and was the subject of a supervision order when he lured the child, who was playing in a street in Glasgow's East End, away with the intention of raping her.

Witnesses saw him waving to her then taking her hand and leading her away.

The little girl - wearing a Disney Princess Frozen dress - was later found during a frantic search involving neighbours, police and her distraught mother.

Johnston, 33, was yesterday jailed for five and a half years at the High Court in Glasgow after admitting the horrific assault which took place on August 7.

But it emerged that he had been released from prison just 21 days before he targeted the child.

Johnston was released two months early from a sentence for a racially aggravated offence, on July 17.

The Evening Times also understands that Johnston was the subject of a Supervised Release Order (SRO) at the time of the abduction which means he was being monitored by local authority social workers in a bid to protect the public from harm.

But a question mark hangs over who was supposed to be watching the sex fiend.

The Crown Office, the Scottish Prison Service and Glasgow City Council - the local authority area the attack took place in - all said they were not responsible for keeping tabs on him. 

This has prompted MSP Margaret Mitchell, Scottish Conservative Justice Spokesperson, to call for an "urgent" government-level review of the supervision procedures.

While another Scottish politician and former top cop, Graeme Pearson, and added: "This little girl should never have gone through this in the first place".

Mrs Mitchell said: "This depraved individual has committed these terrible acts despite the SRO being in place - questions have to be asked about why this was allowed to happen.

"Why was he allowed to move so freely within the local authority?

"The whole system has to be looked at to ensure that the procedures are robust.

"Ultimately this is Scottish Government policy.

"I would call for an urgent review to look at how effective these policies are."

Labour MSP, Mr Pearson, a former Deputy Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police and ex head the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, added: "If this man is supposed to be supervised we should have confidence that this is exactly what is happening.

"It is unfortunate there is no clarity on this matter.

"But the key in all this is that a little had experience something she should never have gone through in the first place.

"Because the system exists to protect people like this wee girl."

The court heard that Johnston was drunk and had taken a legal high called "Bubble" on the night he targeted the child.

He said he could not remember the attack.

Johnston, who is a prisoner at Barlinnie, took the young girl from a street in Barrowfield to a secluded area.

He and the child were found by local resident John Farrell, 50, behind a billboard near a Kwik Fit garage.

Judge Lady Wise sentenced Johnston to five and a half years for abduction of the six-year-old girl but added that she would have given him eight years if he had not pleaded guilty at an early stage.

The judge also ordered that Johnston be monitored in the community for two years after his release from prison.

He was placed on the sex offenders’ register.

Detective Inspector Ogilvie Ross from London Road CID welcomed the sentence in the "very disturbing case" and thanked the local community for helping to find the child.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We cannot comment on individual cases. Supervised Release Orders are imposed by the Court and post-release supervision is the responsibility of the relevant local authority.”