A convicted child sex offender has been jailed again after he admitted becoming ‘fixated’ by a young girl and fantasising about the victim he abused around three decades ago.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that Dennis Lane, 79, was jailed for ten years in 1996 for child abuse and in subsequent years he had repeatedly been given long prison sentences for breaching the terms of protective orders designed to stop him committing further offences.

Judge Ahmed Nadim said that those previous jail terms had not curbed his behaviour and he referred to a report which concluded that Lane was now an ingrained offender with an incapacity to acknowledge guilt.

Last year, police were alerted to concerning behaviour involving Lane and when officers searched his home in Denton Row, Denholme, they seized Diana, Princess of Wales, books containing images of children, and a large child-like doll that was found in his bed.

Prosecutor Maryam Ahmad told the court that children had complained about ‘the weird old man’ who had been engaging them in conversation and a teacher had seen Lane talking to a young girl who looked uncomfortable.

Lane’s indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention order, imposed in 2018, banned him from having any contact with children and he was also prohibited from going within 50 metres of any playground.

The order also banned Lane from being in possession of any child images.

After his arrest last October, Lane denied having any sexual interest in the young girl, but later admitted being ‘fixated’ with her and fantasising about his previous victim.

He also accepted he used child images and the doll for sexual gratification.

Lane admitted breaching the terms of the Sexual Harm Prevention order and was jailed for three years and nine months.

Imran Khan, his barrister, said his client wanted a simple quiet life away from people and to remove himself from society.

“So his strategy for avoiding further offending is to become a recluse?” Judge Nadim said.

“Yes,” said Mr Khan.

He added that Lane understood that a prison sentence was inevitable and he had made peace with that.