CAMPAIGNERS have hit out at the probation service after officials said “any resident” in Basildon could have carried out a vile sex assault on a seven-year-old boy.

The insensitive comments came just days after convicted paedophile Dean Freeman, 24, was jailed for ten years for sexually assaulting a schoolboy in a public toilet in the town.

Freeman had been living at Felmores hostel at the time and campaigners have said he should have never been allowed out unsupervised.

Despite the fact he was being monitored by probation and the police, Freeman attacked the boy in a toilet at the Eastgate Centre.

In a statement responding to the criticism, a spokeswoman for Essex Probation Service said: “The sad fact is that the appalling offence committed in the town centre by Dean Freeman could be committed by any local resident, or any resident of a hostel sited outside of town.”

Adding insult to injury, the spokeswoman also said the hostel residents – including dangerous paedophiles, sex offenders and rapists who have been released early from prison on licence – committed less crime than the rest of the Basildon population.

The incendiary comments have prompted anger from key figures in the town.

Leanne Clark, 40, of Delvins, Pitsea, who is leading a campaign to get rid of the Felmores bail hostel, said: “I’m shocked.

“It’s just outrageous. My son lives in Basildon and my neighbours live in Basildon and I live in Basildon, but I could never do something like that paedophile did. It made us all feel sick.

“There are some bad people in Basildon doing burglaries and other things, but there is no one like the people living in that hostel.”

Mother-of-three, Toni Nelson, 29, of Bostock Close, Laindon said: “I don’t know how this can be said. Having grown up in Basildon all of my life it does concern me how they can tar all residents with the same brush. It is certainly not true of everyone.

“I am more wary with my own children because you just do not know who is around.

“We are supporting the campaign to move the bail hostel because it is in the wrong place.”

Martin Hughes, 50, of Noak Bridge, a grandfather-of-two, said: “It is nonsense to think that every person could be a paedophile or sex offender.

“This statement is tarring everyone with the same brush, but then you have got to think where is the best place to house these kinds of people.”

Father-of-one, Robert Adams, 38, of Meadow Rise, Billericay, a bus driver, said: “It’s outrageous. To say a statement like that is completely out of order and as a father, the issue really concerns me. It is ridiculous.”

Tony Ball, leader of Basildon Council called on the Essex Probation Service to apologise for the remarks.

He added: “Whether intentional or not, it has offended people and as a public body it has got to fix that. It’s a very unfair comment, it’s outrageous, and it’s very insensitive to the victim and his parents.”

Andrew Baggott, councillor for Pitsea North West who is also helping campaigners to try and get rid of the hostel, branded the comments “insulting”.

He said: “They think they know better than everyone else and looks down at everyone. They are just crass and out of touch.”

Former Labour MP, Angela Smith, now Baroness Smith of Basildon said the comments were “stupid and insulting”.

Freeman, formerly of Hamstel Road, Southend, was jailed for ten years after admitting causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to commit a sexual act and breaching his Sexual Offenders Prevention Order.

He was previously jailed for sexually assaulting another young boy and abducting a ten-year-old boy.

Essex Probation Service's full statement: Such offenders have to be accommodated when they are released from prison. Do they go directly to a B&B accommodation locally, or live for a while in an approved premises? That is the choice faced by probation and police and the other agencies involved.

While no one could claim to eliminate risk in 100 per cent of cases, the protection offered through accommodating people in a place like Felmores, and making them keep to additional rules and curfews, is of greater value to a community than local rented housing or bed and breakfast accommodation.

This is the safest, most controlled option available and is significantly safer and more effective than allowing offenders to disperse into the community immediately on release from prison. Felmores’ reputation in this regard is a good one.

Of all the offenders who pass through Felmores approved premises, a tiny proportion over the years have committed serious offences during their stay, which bears very favourable comparison with similar offending among people living in Basildon.

The figures are striking. They also show, however, that out of the six major towns in Essex, Basildon’s sex offending rate is among the lowest. The presence of Felmores has not led to high offending rates for the town.

During his stay, Dean Freeman was subject to additional conditions and police tactical options. He was not in custody, but subject to rules and restrictions.

Felmores residents tend not to stay for longer than six months, at the end of which they must move into their own accommodation in the community. The sad fact is that the appalling offence committed in the town centre by Dean Freeman could be committed by any local resident, or any resident of a hostel sited outside of town.