Former BB officer Ross McKinnon had only been in the ground-floor flat for a matter of weeks following his release from jail.

He was sentenced last year after a transatlantic operation between Central Scotland Police and the FBI discovered over 31,000 sick images of children on his computer.

But, when his latest whereabouts were reported in a national tabloid, he fled the quiet cul-de-sac close to Falkirk town centre.

One mum, who lives near the flat in St John's Avenue, said no-one realised who he was until he was spotted by another neighbour who had been brought up in the same Braes village as McKinnon.

The woman said: "It's a disgrace that he was housed here. There's lots of children living round about so who could possibly think it was sensible to put him here?"

The flat was targeted at the weekend. A window was smashed and "beast" daubed on the building in red paint.

Neighbours watched as McKinnon's elderly parents empty out his belongings over the weekend.

It is unclear whether the move was at his request or the insistence of the authorities who are monitoring him.

McKinnon was given a 35-month extended sentence last October – 20 months in jail and 15 months on licence. As is normal practice, he was recently released after serving half his sentence.

He was also placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The child porn was discovered on a computer at the 34-year-old father-of-two's home in Hallglen by police computer crime experts.

McKinnon was involved with the Boys' Brigade movement most of his life and was captain of 5th Grangemouth, affiliated to the town's Kirk of the Holy Rood. He resigned immediately after being exposed.

Now a row has broken out over who should have been told where McKinnon was living after being released.

Strict guidelines govern the management of offenders in the community and who should be alerted to their whereabouts.

However, Councillor David Alexander accused Falkirk Council of not even following its own protocol.

He said: "I have only recently discovered that three ex-offenders have been housed within 100 yards of each other. There was never any notification about any of them.

"But not only that, now I find out that this convicted paedophile was put next to a childminder registered with Falkirk Council. I know there is an obligation to work with Sacro to house these people, but surely a more appropriate address could have been found."

Sacro is a community justice service which works with offenders in a number of ways, including providing support when they are released from prison.

Janet Birks, Falkirk Council's director of social work services, said: "The council does not make comment on individual cases. The management of registered sex offenders is a sensitive and complex area of work which involves the police and a range of other agencies. The agreed procedures are that a local elected member will be advised when a tenancy in their ward is let to Sacro."

Mrs Birks said the decision where to house registered sex offenders is taken by Forth Valley MAPPA (Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements) within the National Accommodation Strategy for Sex Offenders. This involves 'address profiling' with a range of factors taken into account prior to the offer of a tenancy being made.
Forth Valley MAPPA involves a number of partners, including the police, local authority and health specialists, working with other agencies.

A spokesman said: "Careful consideration is given to a number of issues, including accommodation, for individuals – this is always balanced between public safety and the rights of the individual. A decision on where to house an individual is made by Forth Valley MAPPA partners following consideration of a number of factors, including public risk.

"A decision on whether to make a public disclosure is made on a case by case basis, and is reached after full consideration of all the circumstances by the partner agencies."