Borough teenagers were sought by sex fiend

Nigel Delaney, 65, is starting a 12-year jail sentence, imposed at Burnley Crown Court, for breaching a sexual harm prevention order and other child sex offences.

He was arrested after being pulled over by police while he had a 15-year-old Accrington boy in his car, on the M65 in April 2016.

Detectives say a check on his phone subsequently showed he had been contacting boys across Greater Manchester, Lancashire and West Yorkshire.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said Delaney messaged boys as far apart as Wigan, Leigh, Blackburn and Leeds.

Det Con Julie Potter said Delaney was an “an extremely dangerous and predatory paedophile”.