A DANGEROUS paedophile followed teenage girls around an Asda supermarket taking pictures up their skirts.

Preston Crown Court heard how 50-year-old Stuart Bulling was seen by security staff at 5pm on September 5 taking photographs up the skirts of young females, a practice known as upskirting, in the Rawtenstall store.

Prosecuting, Paul Cummings said Bulling was seen by staff on CCTV looking at his phone and smiling.

Police were called and Bulling was arrested close to one of his victims, who was just 15.

Mr Cummings said: “It seems that the victim was spoken to and she confirmed she had been in the shop. She was on the ground floor on the travelator to the first floor

“The defendant had followed her up on the travelator. He was arrested by police when he was in her vicinity.

“She said she became aware of what was taking place. She turned around to see the defendant being apprehended.

“She was told about what had happened. She said this made her feel sick and scared.”

When Bulling’s phone was examined police found a whole host of child abuse images. There were 497 category A images – the most serious abuse – 325 category B and 380 category C.

Victims in the pictures and videos ranged in age from newborns to 15-year-olds, Mr Cummings said.

The court heard when Bulling, of Bacup Road, Rawtenstall, was interviewed by police he mostly answered no comment to questions put to him. But at one point he admitted there were a few things on his phone and said: “Now I’m going to go to prison.”

The court heard Bulling was jailed for three years and given a three-year extended licence in 2003 after admitting indecently assaulting children and possessing indecent images.

When police raided his home on that occasion they found bags containing youngsters’ hair, children’s socks, women’s underwear, empty Smarties packets, cannabis leaves inside a school book and a black book full of pornographic passages.

In 2011 Bulling was jailed for 18 months for groping a schoolgirl in the same Asda store.

For his latest offending he pleaded to three charges of making indecent images and two of voyeurism.

Defending, Philip Holden said: “This is one of the lengthiest pre-sentence reports I have ever seen. It doesn’t make for any fine reading.”

Jailing Bulling for two years with an extended licence of three years, Judge Andrew Woolman said: “You are in complete denial and you don’t cooperate with the probation service.

“The one protective factor there was perhaps your mother but sadly she has now died.

“You are dangerous and it’s right for me to pass such a sentence. It’s clear that you do need watching very carefully.”

Bulling was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and told to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.