'Horror home' paedophile jailed indefinitely

A paedophile who created a horror film set at his home in a bid to lure children was today jailed indefinitely.

Simon Walford, 39, covered his flat in Blackburn, Lancashire, with a host of macabre items including a life-size doll of Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger.

A vast number of skulls adorned his walls along with figures of movie characters Hannibal Lecter, Jason from the Friday the 13th movies and Chucky from Child's Play.

The defendant enticed one boy to the address to watch one of his ghoulish movies and went on to sexually abuse him, Preston Crown Court was told.

He was jailed for a minimum of two-and-a-half years after he was found guilty of two counts of sexual activity with a child, one of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child and another of breaching a sexual offences prevention order.

Walford was jailed for two-and-and-a-half years in November 2003 for similar offences against young boys.

Last year he was barred from having any contact with children after associating with a fellow sex offender.

Sentencing Walford, of Hancock Street, to an indeterminate term for public protection, Judge Christopher Cornwall stressed the defendant would only be released when the authorities were satisfied he no longer posed a risk to the public.

The court was told he was in the early stages of showing remorse for his latest crime but Walford refused to leave the cells to be sentenced in person.

Following the hearing, Neil Standage, area crown prosecutor in CPS Lancashire, said: "Simon Walford is a dangerous and predatory offender who blatantly breached the sexual offences prevention order against him and has shown no remorse for the offences he committed

"He has now been jailed indefinitely, which means that, although a minimum term is set by the judge, he will stay in prison for as long as he remains a risk to the public."