A PENSIONER who committed a lewd act while watching children play football has been jailed.
Convicted paedophile James Bates, of no fixed address, was caught performing an indecent act in Sefton Park.
The 74-year-old arthritis sufferer denied the offence, claiming he had simply been rubbing his aching hip.
But a Liverpool Crown Court jury convicted him of outraging public decency on May 11, 2008.
Judge Robert Warnock jailed Bates for 18 months for outraging public decency and a further nine months for breaching a Sexual Offenders’ Prevention Order (Sopo).
Bates was subjected to a 10-year Sopo by Liverpool magistrates after he was jailed for luring young boys to a home-made adventure playground.
He had only just been released from a six-year stretch for molesting youngsters.
The pensioner has convictions for sexual offences against young boys dating back to 1965.
