UNBELIEVABLE; Guards let boy, 10, be smuggled into jail as a

A 10-YEAR-OLD boy was smuggled into prison to be assaulted by one of Britain's most dangerous paedophiles.

Prison guards left the terrified youngster alone with serial sex offender Stephen Carruthers for 30 minutes.

The paedophile was allowed to see the boy - known as Child X - in the visiting room even though he was serving a seven-year sentence in Manchester's Strangeways Jail for offences involving children.

Carruthers, 40, has one of the country's worst histories of sexual abuse against youngsters, dating back almost two decades.

The boy was taken into prison by Carruthers' 79-year-old stepfather Gerald Frank. Both men knew the boy's family.

Guards were duped into believing he was Carruthers' son.

Last night an urgent inquiry was demanded after Carruthers was convicted at Manchester crown court of two charges of rape, two charges of false imprisonment, two of indecent assault on a male and one of indecency with a child.

As the guilty verdicts were read out on Friday Carruthers moaned and had to be supported in the dock by two Group Four guards.

Frank showed no emotion as he was convicted of indecent assault and indecency with a child.

Carruthers was remanded in custody to appear before the court later this month for sentencing. Frank was remanded on conditional bail pending the preparation of reports.

The case raises disturbing questions as to how the incident was allowed to happen.

In 1997 Carruthers was convicted of indecently assaulting another boy, aged 11.

At his trial he was branded a danger to children by the judge, who ordered Carruthers to be supervised for the entire seven years of his sentence.

Judge Stuart Fish had special powers to jail Carruthers for a longer term than normal after hearing he may have assaulted a further nine young victims.

Yorkshireman Carruthers - a married father-of-two - had a history of paedophilia going back 18 years. He tried to keep his past secret by moving around the country.

Last night Brian Caton, Assistant General Secretary of the Prison Officers' Association, said: "This is an absolutely appalling case.

"The Prison Service should immediately re-introduce very stringent checks on everyone that enters prisons."

The Strangeways revelations are the latest in a series of child sex abuse scandals to rock Britain's prisons.

A Government inquiry earlier this year revealed that convicted sex offenders at Ashworth Hospital - which houses many of the country's most dangerous prisoners - were allowed to play unsupervised with an eight-year-old child dressed only in her knickers.

Last night the Prison Service said they had now put a comprehensive list of checks in place to prevent a repeat of the lapses that allow children to visit convicted paedophiles.

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