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A CONVICTED paedophile dressed up as a clown at Saints’ home games as “he liked having his picture taken with families”, it has been revealed.
Season ticket holder Kyle Fourie “concerned police officers” when he told them he would go to games in funny outfits to encourage people to have their photo with him.
Fourie, 26, was convicted of possessing indecent images in April 2016 – and was charged four days later after officers found him with more than 100 videos of boys and girls aged between five and 13.
He was exposed again in February, this time by paedophile hunters TRAP after he believed he was going to meet and abuse a 13-year-old boy.
Southampton Crown Court heard that when Fourie was initially sentenced last year, he was placed on a sexual harm prevention order.
But while serving the sentence he was caught with even more images.
When officers continued their investigations into Fourie they said he was found with briefcases full of newspaper clippings of child abuse cases as well as notes and stories he wrote depicting sexual activities with children.
In February, Fourie then contacted someone he believed to be a teenager, but who was, in fact, members of TRAP.
The group, operating under the fake identity of 13-year-old Tyler on Facebook, were contacted by Fourie.
Fourie sent a number of sexually explicit messages before arranging to meet the ‘child’ earlier this year outside a school in Millbrook.
When he arrived he was confronted by the vigilante group. Officers arrested Fourie and found in his rucksack porn, condoms and sexual enhancement tablets. After the sting, police raided his home again and found X-rated DVDs involving children.
Prosecuting, James Newton-Price told the court that officers had grown concerned about Fourie during unannounced visits to his property between the two sets of offences.
He said: “The officers were concerned that, despite being under a sexual order, he attended all Southampton Football Club matches as he was a season ticket holder.
“He liked to dress as a clown at games as he would always be asked for photographs from families, which meant he was a particular risk to children.”
Mr Newton-Price added: “In July 2016, officers also found magazine and newspaper cuttings of children and articles of child abuse and kidnap stories from the press.”
The court heard that Fourie had been previously convicted on a number of occasions for possessing indecent images of children.
He was also cautioned in 2010 when he admitted taking a picture of a child on the toilet while he volunteered at Mencap in Southampton.
Mitigating, Robert Forrest said Fourie’s offending “was linked to his disability”.
Dr Kevin O’Shea, who assessed Fourie, found him to have learning difficulties that meant it was not possible to “change his intellect, we can only try and change his behaviour”.
Judge Christopher Parker QC sentenced Fourie, of Tatchbury Mount, Calmore, to a hospital order. In order for Fourie to leave hospital, he will have to be signed off by the secretary of state or in a tribunal.
Following the case, an NSPCC spokesperson said: “Fourie’s attempts to groom a child are yet another stark reminder of the risks children and young people face online.”