News that a paedophile has been cleared to return to his home and live not far from his victim is startling.

Officials assure the community that there will be a "robust" protection system in place.

But can we really be sure that he will be monitored 24 hours a day, 365 days a year?

Of course, there are those who say that Thomas Brant has served his sentence and should be allowed back into society.

But whatever protections and restrictions are in place (and the probation service is not allowed to reveal what they are), there is still the potential for victim and attacker to come face-to-face inadvertently.

Support for the victim should be the overriding concern.