The father of an 11-year-old Celtic fan who stole the hearts of the club's players has met a teenager who was arrested after threatening his son online.

Martin Beatty came face-to-face with the Glasgow youngster who sent him private Facebook messages targeting Jay, who has Down's syndrome.

Police Scotland were contacted after Mr Beatty was copied into Facebook conversations containing derogatory comments about Jay's disability and threats to his safety.

Officers arrested a teenager in connection with the hate crime and he was referred to the Children's Reporter, which recommended he take part in a special programme.

Jay has been pictured on TV and newspapers after being hailed a "super fan" for his devotion to former striker Georgios Samaras, who famously embraced him after a match.

After taking part in the programme, the youngster expressed remorse for his actions and said he wanted to apologise to Jay's family.

Mr Beatty said: "I think it did help. I got everything I wanted to say off my chest and told him how we felt. We couldn't understand why someone would do that to a wee boy who doesn't have a bad bone in his body. At times it was emotional, but it helped me get closure and I think he took what I said on board."

Jay briefly entered the room at the end of the teenager's meeting with his father. Seeing the youngster in person had a profound effect on the older boy.

Mr Beatty said: "When he saw Jay - and how tiny he is, it was very powerful. He was emotional. I think it really hit home then, what he had done and that Jay was just a wee boy who loves football and had done nothing wrong.

"Now I have closure. I've forgiven him and put it behind us. At the end of the meeting I shook his hand and wished him all the best and hoped that he would go on and do something constructive with his life."

The teenager apologised to Mr Beatty and promised never to do anything similar again.

He offered to do something to try to make up for the hurt he has caused but Jay's father only wanted an assurance that he'd seen the error of his ways and would not reoffend.

The teenager, who has not been named, said: "I listened to everything that was said, I won't ever do anything like that again."

Bailie Fariha Thomas, chairwoman of Community Safety Glasgow, which runs Glasgow's restorative justice service, said: "Restorative justice can be exceptionally effective in bringing the consequences of crime home to perpetrators.

"Meeting their victims can help offenders understand the impact their actions have on those they target and the wider community.

"Meetings such as these can help give power back to victims and enable both sides to meet and talk in a safe environment. It is an opportunity for offenders to take responsibility for what they have done and to try to make amends. It can also be a powerful tool in preventing reoffending."