THIS is the ‘sick monster’ who violently sexually assaulted one girl while on bail for raping another.

Simon Heaton, 17, from St Helens, Merseyside, can now be named as the youth who subjected the girls - a nine-year-old in Great Harwood and a 10-year-old from St Helens - to the vicious attacks.

The decision to release the teenager's details was made by Judge David Harris QC at a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court today.

He said Heaton, who in the eyes of the law is a child until the age of 18, could be named after representations were made by the Lancashire Telegraph together with the police and Crown Prosecution Service.

Heaton was given an indeterminate sentence after admitting seven counts of sexual assault on a child under 13 including rape.

The judge said it was a matter of important public interest to name Heaton, who would be turning 18 in less than five months time.

MP for Hyndburn Greg Pope said: “Disclosing the name of this person is the very least right we have to expect.

“I am fed up of people who commit serious and appalling crimes hiding behind anonymity. Everyone deserves to know what he has done."

As reported in today’s Lancashire Telegraph, Mr Pope has strongly criticised Judge David Boulton’s decision earlier in the case to release Heaton on bail after the rape offence.

Just weeks later he attacked the youngster in Great Harwood.

Community leaders in East Lancashire are now pushing for a review of the judicial system to prevent something similar happening again.

Leader of Hyndburn Council Peter Britcliffe said: “The public have concerns about the way people are allowed to be freed and when something like this happens it justifies their concerns.

“Like many other member of the public I want to know why this was allowed to happen. What on earth is going on in the country.

“I do think there needs some serious inward looking to see what is going on and why there is so much wrong with the system.”

Coun Graham Jones, leader of the opposition, said: “We don’t take into consideration the victims of crimes concerns enough.

“In this particular case this person has gone on to reoffend.

“We need to look more closer at a rebalancing of the criminal justice system so that offenders aren’t just released hoping they would reoffend.

“The victims of crime need to play a greater role in criminal justice.”

Janet Potter, senior district crown prosecutor, from the Crown Prosecution Service in Merseyside, said the organisation had objected to bail.

She said: “This was a harrowing case involving two separate attacks on young girls who were both subjected to a frightening and terrible sexual assault.

“Both Lancashire and Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service, and officers from Merseyside and Lancashire police forces, worked together on the two cases and applied to the court for them to be joined.”

Justice Secretary and Blackburn MP Jack Straw said he was "highly concerned" about the case but did not go as far as saying he supported a review of guidelines to judges.

He reiterated that changes to tighten the rules on bail were being brought in.

Under the new Coroners and Justice Act, which comes into force on February 1, the court should take into account the possibility of the defendant causing "physical or mental injury" to someone aside from the victim while on bail.

The changes were brought in after the murder of Garry Newlove in 2007. One of the teenagers found guilty of the crime had been on bail at the time.

Mr Straw said it was "highly probable" Heaton would have been refused bail under the new guidelines, and if he had been freed an appeal by the Crown Prosecution Service would have been more likely.

But ultimately the final decision lies with a judge.