A CONVICTED child sex offender agreed to babysit the young daughter of a Carlisle woman who had no idea about his criminal past.

James McArthur, 32, was banned from having unsupervised contact with any child following his conviction in 2011 for a variety of child sickening sex offences, the city’s crown court heard.

Those offences included sexual assault, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

He was also convicted of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a 13-year-old. His sexual harm prevention order included a condition that he was to have no contact with any child unless the parent of guardian knew of his offending past.

Yet police discovered that he had been babysitting for a woman he knew in Carlisle, looking after the woman’s daughter, who is of primary school age.

“He baby sat for her on a number of occasions,” prosecutor Tim Evans told the court.

The defendant claimed that the woman was fully aware of his previous convictions but when she was spoken to by the police she confirmed that McArthur had not told her about his previous sex offences.

She said McArthur told her that he had past convictions for drug offences only. “She was adamant that she hadn’t been told about his previous convictions,” said Mr Evans. “She believed his only convictions were for drugs.”

The woman added that nothing in McArthur’s behaviour had caused her concern. The defendant’s behaviour was plainly a breach of his sexual harm prevention order.

Passing sentence on McArthur, formerly of Stonegarth, Morton, Carlisle, Recorder Tony Hawks said the purpose of the sexual harm prevention order made at Preston Crown Court was to ensure he did not have unsupervised access to any child.

Yet he had lied to the woman whose daughter he babysat for. “She was very upset about the situation when she discovered the true nature of your previous convictions,” said the judge. “That is hardly surprising.”

More serious charges that were being faced by the defendant were dropped by the prosecution, however, the court heard. The judge gave McArthur a three year community order which will give him support to tackle his “perverted and unnatural interest in young children,” said the Recorder.

The order will include 15 rehabilitation activity days.

In an earlier hearing, defence barrister Judith McCullough said McArthur had been forced to leave the property that had been his home. His windows were broken and he had decided to end the tenancy because returning to that address was 'just too dangerous,' said Miss McCullough.