A BOURNEMOUTH woman is calling for a change in the law after a convicted paedophile moved back to a street one mile away from his victim’s home.

Mark Holland, 25, from Bear Cross, was jailed June 7 2013 at Bournemouth Crown Court after sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl and another child under the age of 13. He served a year of his three-year prison sentence concurrent with an 18 month sentence.

He now lives within walking distance of the victim, sparking outrage among a close friend of the victim’s family.

The woman, who does not wish to be named, said: “I think it’s disgusting that he’s allowed to go and live wherever he wants to now. I do think the law needs to be changed so that sex offenders are put in a different city to where their victims are.

“He lives less than a mile away from where one of the victims lives and also near to where the child goes to school.

“She’s only 11 and she’s quite anxious about the fact he has been released and is quite close. He has learning difficulties and he never admitted to what he did. And I think for somebody to plead not guilty, that makes them more dangerous for not taking responsibility for what they’ve done.”

She continued: “The trial might be over and, yes, he may have done his sentence, but for the kids involved it’s never going to be finished.

“When it all first came out, she was very withdrawn; she didn’t want to be hugged, she was constantly angry, she had a lot of nightmares - and that went on for about 3 months. She won’t talk about it.”

She added: “As far as he’s concerned he did nothing wrong. He never wanted to admit to anything. He’s living there now resuming normal life and I think it’s very unfair.”

A Dorset Police spokesperson said legislation did not give police the power to tell registered sex offenders where to live.

"Registered sex offenders are managed by MAPPA – Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements – which consists of representatives from a range of agencies working together to protect the public and prevent re-offending.

"The legislation places requirements on sex offenders to notify the police of their address and foreign travel. While steps are taken to ensure a registered sex offender seeks appropriate accommodation, the legislation doesn’t afford the police the power to tell registered sex offenders where to live."