A PERVERT awaiting sentence for sending sick pictures of children being abused kept his crimes secret from family friends.

Gary Jee even spent the night at the home of a couple and their 10-year-old son, looking after the boy alone the next day while his parents were at work.

The shocked couple contacted police after reading a report about Jee's offending in The Bolton News last month.

On October 1 last year, while awaiting sentence, Jee was placed on the sex offenders' register, which required the 47-year-old to provide details of any address where he was staying for more than 12 hours and a child lives.

Thomas Worsfold, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court that, during the appointment at the police station to complete the registration details Jee told officers that he "did not have any friends and led an isolated life".

He was also required to provide details of his passport, which he failed to do.

On January 14 Jee, of Castle Street, Bolton, was sentenced. He had pretended to be an 11-year-old boy and sent pictures of children being abused to another paedophile.

The court was told that Jee admits having a sexualised interest in children but is undergoing counselling and was sentenced to a three-year community order after a judge was told there was a good prospect of rehabilitation.

But the following week Jee was arrested again and remanded in prison after police were contacted by a woman who had regarded him as a friend for 15 years.

"She had read a news report about the defendant's conviction," said Mr Worsfold.

"The defendant had never mentioned the court proceedings and she was concerned that she and her husband have a 10-year-old son who the defendant previously babysat for."

The woman told officers that Jee had last spent the night at her home on December 17 and then was left with the boy during the following day while his parents worked.

Jee pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to comply with the sex offender's register.

In a statement read out in court the mum said her family felt "betrayed" by Jee, although, after a "difficult" conversation with her son it was established that no offences had been committed against the boy.

Mr Worsfold added that the woman describes herself as "angry, shocked and scared that he had had the run of the house".

Matthew Curtis, defending, stressed that Jee is apologetic and had not had time to start the sex offender's programme he was previously sentenced to undertake.

Acknowledging the time Jee has already spent in prison on remand, his guilty plea and considering how best the public can be protected, the Honorary Recorder or Bolton, Judge Martin Walsh sentenced him to a three year community order, where he can be supervised for the maximum period of time, with 50 days of rehabilitation activities.

Jee is on the sex offenders' register and subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

Judge Walsh told him: "I want to make this absolutely clear, the offences for which you have been sentenced today do pass the custodial threshold and if you breach the community order, the overwhelming probability is that you will be sent to custody."