Appeal: Porteous

A PAEDOPHILE will return to the children's complex where he abused youngsters after being freed from jail.

Former carer John Porteous, 71, last week became the first pervert to use a controversial legal loophole to have his jail sentence cut.

Ex-Boys' Brigade leader Porteous was jailed for eight years in November 2002 on two charges of shameless indecency and two charges of lewd and libidinous behaviour for offences in the 1960s and 1970s.

Shameless

But a change in the law ruled outdated shameless indecency charges were no longer part of the statue books.

The pervert, nicknamed The Beast of the Bell tower because of where he attacked kids, appealed and had his sentence cut by more than a third.

He may be free within a year to return to the rented cottage he shared with wife Helen, 60, in the Quarriers village com­plex at Bridge of Weir, Ren­frewshire, which still houses vulnerable disabled children.

Quarriers chief executive Phil Robinson last night said they would allow Porteous to return. He said: "We will deal with John Porteous' release as a community safety issue."

One of his victims, David Whelan, 47, now a successful businessman, said: "He's been found guilty of the most dread­ful sex crimes against children in the charity's care, yet they are allowing him to return liter­ally to the scene of his crimes."