A TEENAGER with a conviction for indecently assaulting a 10-year-old has sparked police action after being accused of "stalking" young girls.

Blackburn magistrates heard that the 17-year-old, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had previously been labelled a threat to female children.

And the court was told police required a sex offender order to restrict his movements amid concern his recent behaviour was "posing a real risk to children in the community."

Magistrates made an interim order curbing his movements, pending a full hearing in February, after hearing that the youth denied stalking young girls.

David Sandiford, prosecuting, said the Blackburn youth had a previous conviction for indecent assault on a 10-year-old girl in 2000 and children needed to be protected from him.

He said incidents included:

l Police finding items of young girl's underwear in the teenager's room which he later admitted he kept for sexual gratification.

l The teenager loitering near the home of a girl and being found asleep one morning in June in a sleeping bag outside her home.

l A second girl also complaining about the youth loitering near her home.

l A 14-year-old schoolgirl who used to be a neighbour of the youth claiming that on his return to Blackburn he produced a photograph of her taken some years earlier. "He said he would be waiting for her when she finished school," said Mr Sandiford.

l Another young female receiving obscene text messages.

l An incident in 2001 when the youth told a teacher he had been to a nearby junior school with the intention of committing sexual offences against a child there.

Mr Sandiford said a multi-agency meeting in May, 2001, concluded that the youth was a "high risk" to female children and the following month, in Scotland, there was an incident when a girl's underclothes were taken from a tent.

Ian Huggan, defending, said the application would be opposed by his client.

"The prosecution say there have been incidents of stalking and I make it clear that is not accepted," said Mr Huggan.

"The two girls who are said to have been the victims of stalking are aged 16 and 17 and, surely, it is perfectly normal to have relationships with members of the opposite sex of the same age."

Mr Huggan said there was no evidence of his client going out stalking young girls of 10 or 11 years of age.

"It seems to me that there is little or no evidence of incidents involving young girls, as per the previous conviction in 2000," said Mr Huggan.

The magistrates agreed to the making of an interim order pending a full hearing on February 10 and 11 at Hyndburn magistrates court.

The terms of the interim order are that the youth is prohibited from acting in such a manner as to cause alarm, harassment or distress to others; prohibited from associating with any female under the age of 16 except under the supervision of a suitable adult; prohibited from taking up residence or staying overnight without first informing the police who must approve the address; prohibited from leaving England and Wales without giving 24 hours' notice to the police; prohibited from loitering near school premises or in the vicinity of children's play areas.