Predator Christopher Morrison was provided with a flat in the same street as that of a children’s centre which caters for young kids of the same age as his victim.

The disclosure is contained within a court document compiled as a result of Morrison committing a fresh sex crime in Greenock.

Morrison — who is from Elderslie, near Paisley — attacked his four-year-old victim at an Asda store in Clydebank in September 2012.

The offence was branded ‘very disturbing’ by a High Court judge who jailed the 22-year-old for two-and-a-half years in June 2013.

Morrison — who is subject to an offender management programme run by agencies including Inverclyde Council and Police Scotland — has been living in Greenock’s Kelly Street.

But he is today back in custody awaiting sentence after being caught with a disgusting child abuse image on his mobile phone.

Greenock Sheriff Court heard how police discovered the picture on 4 November last year — just two months after Morrison was released early from jail, having served half of his sentence.

Prosecutor Lindy Scaife said: “The accused was subject to an unannounced visit by two police officers.

“He was asked for permission to look through his mobile phone and he granted permission.

“The photo album within the phone contained an image which caused the officers concern.” Ms Scaife said that the picture was graded at Level 3 in terms of the law, which puts the most disturbing images at Level 5.

The fiscal depute said: “Police seized a black-coloured Alcatel mobile and one other phone for examination.

“The image showed a group of naked adults and children, with one adult appearing to be touching one of the children.

“The accused was detained and taken to Greenock police office.

“He was interviewed in the presence of a solicitor and an appropriate adult and made no comment to questioning.

“On being cautioned and charged he replied, ‘Naw’.” Morrison made national headlines in 2013 when he was sent to prison for assaulting his four-year-old victim.

Judge Lord Bracadale told him at the time: “You have no previous convictions but it is clear from the risk assessment report there is a serious background here.” The judge said the author of the report on Morrison had stressed that the risk he posed could only be addressed and managed if he took part in ‘offence-focused work’ whilst in custody and on his release.

Morrison’s victim had been out with his mother and grandmother at the Asda in Britannia Way, Clydebank, when the lad went to the toilet on his own.

Morrison — who was already there — didn’t say anything to the boy, but gestured for him to be quiet by putting his finger to his own mouth.

He indecently assaulted the boy before hurrying away from the scene.

The child told his mother what had happened, saying that ‘a man’ had done something to him.

His mum alerted staff before police launched a high-profile appeal to catch the attacker.

Officers pored over the store’s CCTV footage and Morrison was traced later.

His DNA was found on the boy but he made no admissions under questioning and it took a full day for police to interview the child following his ordeal.

Morrison later pleaded guilty to carrying out the sex attack.

Defence lawyer Ellen Macdonald said she would be ‘reserving’ any comments she may make on Morrison’s behalf until a sentencing hearing regarding his Greenock offence.

Sheriff Ian Fleming adjourned the case until 22 April and ordered that Morrison be kept in custody.

Inverclyde Council today said it doesn’t comment on individual cases regarding the management of sex offenders in the community.

A spokesman for the local authority said: “Sex offenders are managed in the community under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) which involve the police service, the council, the NHS, Scottish Prison Service and other partners.

“MAPPA is there to manage the risk posed by offenders who have come through the judicial and criminal justice system and by virtue of their sentence are required to comply with the notification requirements placed on them by the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

“A number of measures can be put in place to manage offenders in the community and these are monitored by dedicated police officers, criminal justice social workers and partner organisations. Keeping people safe is our main priority in all cases.”