Mark Pendleton - Repeat Sex Offender - Re-offends while in prison

A WA pedophile jailed for horrific sex crimes against girls aged four and five years has been caught with child pornography inside his cell.

Former pre-primary school teacher Mark Pendleton, 49, was nabbed with the material while serving a 16-year sentence for sexually penetrating and indecently recording 11 girls between January 1995 and February 2000.

The major breach of security comes as statistics obtained by The Sunday Times reveal that hundreds of visitors to WA jails have been banned for attempting to smuggle in contraband - with suspected drugs, drug paraphernalia and pornography topping the list.

From next month, prison officers at maximum-security prisons at Albany, Casuarina, Hakea and Bandyup will have an extra weapon to catch smugglers - biometric iris-scanning equipment.

The Department of Corrective Services confirmed this week that Pendleton, who was convicted of 171 sex offences, had been found with child pornography in prison in the past two years.

The Prisoners Review Board this month denied Pendleton parole, saying he remained a risk to the community.

"25% of all sex offenders re-offend within 15 years"

.........Sarah Tofte