POLICE have launched an investigation after a convicted child sex offender was forced out of his home following direct action from local residents.
The 62-year-old man had been housed in an area of East Lothian near a children's play park.
But some parents mounted a "Get Him Out" protest organising through social media.
Around 40 gathered around at a council house last week calling for his removal and while carrying a ‘Get Him Out’ banner.
The home was hit with black painted graffiti saying "paedophile out", "beast", and "paedo".
The man is understood to have since left the home, following the protest organised by two mothers.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We can confirm that enquiries are continuing following a report of a vandalism... on Friday, 11 September 2020."
Protesters have posted pictures purporting to be of the house boarded up with the message: "Ding-dong the beast is gone!"
The man, who is not being named for legal reasons, has a long history of sexually abusing children and has been jailed on numerous occasion in the past for sexual offences against women and children.
He was placed on a Sexual Offenders Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2015 and conditions included being banned from forming relationships with anyone without prior approval from his supervising officer.
But he has appeared in court several times for breaching the order.
The man, a former council worker, was jailed for 16 months last year for breaching the SOPO after he admitted to befriending women and children at a Musselburgh church hall and on days out at the National Museum of Flight, near East Fortune.
He was also given a six-month jail sentence in September, last year, after admitting breaching his SOPO by speaking and communicating with an 11-year-old girl at Edinburgh Castle. He also pleaded guilty to breaching his SOPO by speaking and communicating with a seven-year-old girl at Musselburgh baptist Church in June, 2018.
During a hearing in September, Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard the was chased out of another local community in Scotland after convictions were made public.
A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said: “Public safety is of paramount importance and we work closely with our partner agencies to ensure that Scottish Government guidance relating to the safe management of offenders is followed.
“Although we cannot comment on individual cases, we can confirm that there are robust processes and procedures in place to manage sex offenders.”
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