Parents’ anger as paedophile is moved next to children’s football pitches

TWO hundred children have been stopped from playing youth football on their home turf – because a sex offender has been housed nearby.

The ban was ordered after parents claimed the man had been housed near the pitches.

The offender, who is serving a suspended jail sentence for trying to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex, was given the home by the local council after becoming homeless.

But parents of players complained that the offender was allegedly staring at children during youth matches.

Outraged

The club, which has 13 teams for boys and girls aged seven to 14 on the pitches, contacted Norfolk FA and was told to cancel home fixtures.

A spokesman said: “It is ridiculous that this guy was housed here. People are outraged. The FA told us to stop all youth games immediately.We have been looking for new places to play and for training.

“I know the council have a duty of care to this individual, but they also have a duty to kids.”

A 40-year-old mother of two said she saw the offender “standing in the doorway” when her 12-year-old son was playing on September 18. She said: “It made me feel uncomfortable.

I sometimes have my 14-year-old daughter with me watching games.

“He was also seen hanging around watching the girls play the day before. The police were called because people were so concerned.”

The offender was snared by vigilantes after he sent sexually explicit messages to an investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl in August last year.

Police were alerted after he turned up to meet the girl and was instead confronted by the vigilante group.

He admitted attempting to cause a child to look at an image of sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The offender was given a two-year jail term suspended for 21 months at Norwich Crown Court and put on the sex offender’s register for ten years.

He insisted that he knew nothing about the FA stopping children from playing on the pitches when questioned by a reporter.

A council spokesperson said: “We have a legal duty to help all people who are homeless. Safety is at the heart of each assessment.”

Norfolk FA said safeguarding children “remains our primary concern”.

Police said: “We received a report of suspicious circumstances but no offences were being committed.”