A MAN who performed sex acts in front of children as they watched from a window, is behind bars.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Peter Kennedy, 45, who also took youngsters to the shop to buy them treats while subject to a Sex Offenders' Order, had led an "unblemished life" -- apart from committing sex offences against children.

He was sent to prison for 18 months, with an extended licence period of two years. Sentencing him, Judge David Pirie said he had a history of indecency offences with young children and he had to go to prison.

The judge said: "There are signs you wish to deal with your offending, but how deep-rooted and genuine these feelings are may be difficult to assess."

Kennedy, of Netherfield Gardens, Nelson, admitted gross indecency and breach of a Sex Offenders' order, imposed last February at Preston Crown Court.

The court heard last June, a 13-year-old boy was in the bedroom of his home in Brierfield when the defendant walked down the street, looked up and gave the thumbs up. The boy responded in the same way, Kennedy exposed himself and walked off. He then returned, pulled down his trousers again and committed a sex act in the boy's view. The child told his brothers and sisters and one of them also saw what was going on.

Kennedy shouted up to the boy and asked him to pull down his trousers. The defendant then returned a number of times and committed sex acts on himself in front of the children over several hours.

The court heard the children eventually told their parents what had happened. The next evening, the boy was in his bedroom again, spotted Kennedy walking down the street and immediately told his mother. Kennedy was arrested 50 yards from the house. When the defendant was interviewed, he admitted he had walked down the street but said he had not been there the day before.

Simon Newell, defending, said Kennedy had made full admissions and expressed remorse. He had always pleaded guilty to other offences in the past, going back to the 1980s.

Kennedy accepted there had been a problem but for large parts of the time he had been able to put that behind him. He had had a relationship with a woman but when that broke down, he had felt alone and isolated and at the time of the offences was drinking to excess. He had drunk half a bottle of rum on both occasions.