Picture Ref: 77057-12PAEDOPHILE CASE: WELCOMBE Avenue, Park North, and Stubsmead, Eldene, are both residential areas where children happily play in the street.

But people living in both were unaware that twice-previously convicted paedophile Craig Taylor was their neighbour.

Now they would like to know why they were not told by police that he was living there.

One of his neighbours in Welcombe Avenue, Helena McGill, 27, who has two children, said: "It's quite scary to think someone like that was living in our street.

"I know they've got to live somewhere, but we should have been told, so that maybe we could have taken protective measures for our children."

James Halsey, 78, used to talk to Taylor over the garden fence.

He said: "He seemed to be completely normal. The police came round two or three times.

"I was totally shocked when I found out what he had done. I would have liked to have been told that I had someone like that living next door to me."

Jeanette Tarrant, 46, said: "I can't get my head around the fact that no one told us about the fact that he was a paedophile.

"He just seemed like a normal bloke, I would never have guessed."

After living in Park South, Taylor then moved to Stubsmead where he found a second victim.

Street resident Tanya Ezzell, 29, who has two children aged 11 and seven, said: "My two children play outside all the time and to think a paedophile probably walked past them on a number of occasions sends a shiver down my spine.

"We should have been told we had someone like that living so near us especially now that he has struck again.

"I never met him personally, but I would have just liked to have known."

Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "I am just shocked that he lived only a few doors away, especially as I have children.

"I can't believe that we were not warned that someone so dangerous lived so close to us."

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Gareth Bethell