A CONVICTED paedophile has been banned from going on booze cruises abroad with another registered sex offender.

Colin Barlow, 49, had formed a friendship with like-minded pensioner Alfred Farley, but detectives say they got wind of their plans to go travelling together.

And now he has been banned from going on holiday with Farley without the permission of police.

Detectives from Eastern division’s Public Protection Unit put Barlow back before Burnley Crown Court this week to successfully apply for variations to his Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

It now means Barlow, who has a string of convictions for child sexual offences dating back more than a decade, can be more closely monitored.

Barlow had been living in a bail hostel in Blackburn, but is now back in the Burnley area. He used to live in Rhoda Street, Nelson.

He was jailed for seven years in 2000 for a series of sexual offences against children. He was locked up again in December 2007 and December 2009 for possessing indecent images and then breaching his lifetime Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Police believe Barlow and Farley, who is in his early 70s, met during their time in custody at HMP Wymott, Leyland, where their paths crossed in 2004. They went on to forge a bond while living in hostels in the Greater Manchester area, police said.

Officers belive Barlow sees Farley as somewhat of a father figure.

DC Aspinall said: “Barlow claimed that Alfred Farley was a supportive factor in his life. Barlow used Farley for transportation and they had half a plan to travel in a touring caravan, going across to Calais on booze cruises.

“We weren’t enamoured with the thought of them going on holiday together which was the fundamental reason we applied for variations of the SOPO.

“When we challenged Barlow, he denied it at first, which made us concerned as to what else he was hiding.

“It is a way of protecting the public and a way for us to monitor the situation. Like minded men together who have subversive interests can sometime share thoughts and we don’t want them to start thinking of ways of offending.”

Barlow was already banned from unsupervised contact with girls under 18, using computers, data storage devices and accessing the internet under his existing SOPO.

The crown court also banned Barlow from associating with Farley in public without consent from a PPU officer.

DC Aspinall added: “Because men who are marginalised by their offences have difficulty forming relationships, we encourage them not to become isolated on release from prison.

“However, Barlow is quite capable of entering into a legitimate relationship and support network.

“This order means they can see each other in private dwellings.

"He can’t be picked up and driven round by Farley - that is not being a supportive friend.”