A ‘PAEDOPHILE pest’ who turned up to court drunk has been jailed for assaulting an elderly man.

William Barton, of Broadhurst Avenue in Culcheth, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for the assault.

Judge Robert Warnock lost patience with the 70-year-old defendant who seemed drunk in the courtroom and he was remanded into custody until Monday.

Iain Criddle, prosecuting, told the court: "On November 13, Mr Phillips, an 81-year-old man, was in Warrington Bus Station and told Barton that he was stealing chocolate and that he had seen him stealing earlier on in the day.

"He asked the defendant, 'so are you going to pay for that' before Barton threw the chocolates at the elderly man.

"Barton then pushed the man's chest with two hands, causing him to fall to the floor.

"Mr Phillips was left in pain and shock, with cuts to his arm and he was taken to hospital.

"Barton admitted to pushing the man but said he did not mean for him to fall."

Barton has 25 previous convictions for 44 offences but none for violent crimes.

He had previously been spared jail at Liverpool Crown Court in April 2018 for breaching a sexual harm prevention order after making explicit remarks to a 15-year-old schoolboy on a bus.

Described as smelling of alcohol at the time of the offence, he asked the teenager ‘if he had ever done it’.

When the boy got off the bus, Barton told him ‘he would buy him a pint one day’.

These actions breached a court order imposed in May 2016, which prohibited him from having contact with anyone under the age of 18.

The order was handed down after the sex offender made inappropriate remarks to two boys at Central Station.

His assault on Mr Phillips breached this suspended sentence from 2018

Bernice Campbell, defending, said: "On Friday, he told me had drank two cans of Guinness the previous evening but his speech is slurred anyway.

"The defendant admitted what he had done at the scene.

"He has an alcohol dependency, type two diabetes, is almost blind and believes he is starting with alzheimers.

"He has refused previous support, is not fit for unpaid work and other services are reluctant to work with him as he does not want help.

"Barton said the victim had followed him around the town centre that afternoon.

"He is vulnerable and has issues."

Judge Warnock, said: "From an early time in your life you have been a prolific offender in order to feed others or your own alcohol habit.

"Your life to date is littered with nuisance crime.

"You were told when you were last in court that if you reoffended then you would face custody.

"You have made no progress since your last appearance and ignored the opportunity that has been given to you.

"You have refused support and only completed one out of 30 rehabilitation days.

"You assaulted a member of the public who accused you of theft and acts of dishonesty."

Barton was jailed for six months.