A SEX offender who had been off the radar for six months had been staying at two homes in Burnley where there were children living.

Blackburn magistrates heard the householders had no knowledge of Keiron Rushton’s history but called the police because they were concerned by his reluctance to sign on for benefits or with a GP.

And when police came to investigate they found Rushton in a bedroom, naked from the waist down, watching video stream of two girls aged around six dancing.

Rushton, 48, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching sex offender registration requirements by failing to tell police he was living at two addresses in Burnley, two charges of breaching the order by staying at the addresses where children were living and one of using an alias to access an online streaming site.

He was sent in custody to Burnley Crown Court to be sentenced on January 17.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said Rushton had no previous convictions but had been put on the sex offender register after being given a caution by Kent police for possessing indecent images of children.

“He initially registered an address but the police have been unable to contact him since June,” said Miss Allan. “On Monday police were made aware he was living in Burnley.”

Miss Allan said when officers went to the address they found Rushton in a bedroom, naked from the waist down and with his mobile phone in one hand. When they took the mobile phone off him they saw he was watching two young girls on a live stream. He had used an alias to access the stream.

Miss Allan said Rushton had been living at two addresses in Burnley. At one there were three young girls and at the other a six-year-old. The parents of the children had not been aware of the fact Rushton was on the sex offender register.

“They all said they would not have let him stay if they had known his background,” said Miss Allan. “They all said they felt really angry because they had trusted him.”

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said his client, a portrait artist, had been living in Kent when he received the conditional caution.

That ended his relationship, he lost his home and ended up staying with relatives in Burnley. “He wasn’t quite sure what he had to do in relation to registration,” said Mr Taylor.

“He received a caution for the original offence, which perhaps reflects the seriousness, but accepts he has a problem with pornography.

“He says nobody was in danger because of his problem,” he added.