A CONVICTED paedophile said to have tried to lure two young Accrington Stanley fans back to his home after games is behind bars for 19 months.

Regular match attender Philip Reece, 46, was the subject of a 10-year sexual offences prevention order, banning him from associating with any child under 18.

But, Burnley Crown Court was told, he had regularly approached two 14-year-old friends at the football, struck up conversation and sought to tempt them to his house with the promise of parties and alcohol.

Police caught the pervert on CCTV at the Accrington Stanley ground ‘playfully rubbing’ his own head against one of the schoolboy’s heads.

The hearing was told the teenagers were spoken to by officers and said Reece had told them he could get them soccer badges.

One lad claimed the defendant had offered him ‘booze disguised in cola bottles’.

The teenager told police Reece, who had seemed friendly at first, became aggressive and had scared him by putting him in headlocks.

The court heard the defendant claimed he had never had a sexual interest in children.

Judge Beverley Lunt, who said his flouting of the order was ‘repeated and persistent’ said because of his refusal to accept he had a problem, the only way to protect children from him was to lock him up. Reece, of Chapel Street, Brierfield, was convicted of allegations of breaching the sexual offences prevention order, between January and September 2011. He has been banned from Accrington Stanley games, both at home and away, while on bail.

David Macro, prosecuting, said on September 3, last year, police became aware of the defendant leaving the Barnet v Accrington Stanley match in Barnet and established he regularly attended Accrington Stanley home games as well.

They looked at CCTV footage from Accrington’s home game against Crewe two weeks later on September 17, and saw Reece on the terraces near some boys under 16. He was making conversation and rubbed his own head against a child’s head.

Mr Macro said police later spoke to the youngsters and one of them said he had seen Reece four or five times at the football.

Judge Beverley Lunt told Reece he had completely failed to accept his culpability and the blame for what he had done.

She said: “More to the point, you will not accept that you have a perverted attitude towards children. That being so, there is no work that the probation service can do with you.

“The only way to protect children under 18 from you is to send you to prison. There is no question about it.”