Kingston police have opposed the publication of the address of a convicted paedophile, saying that he may be killed by vigilantes if they discover where he lives.

Camilo Fernandez, 54, who has been convicted five times for sexual offences involving boys under the age of 16, was nearly beaten to death several years ago after his home address was made public.

On Monday, Kingston magistrates imposed a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) on Fernandez, who lives in the Kingston area, after deciding he posed a high risk of sexual harm to the public.

An application by the Surrey Comet for his address to be released was opposed by the court and Kingston police for fear he may be attacked again.

A psychological report carried out on behalf of Fernandez described him as being sexually attracted to young boys and said he struggled to set appropriate boundaries.

Fernandez lives alone and is a regular church-goer. In February 2006, a church leader told police that Fernandez was behaving inappropriately with a young male member of the congregation and that he had seen disturbing transcripts of online conversations between Fernandez and a teenage boy in Scotland.

He has been a prolific sex offender with a criminal record dating back to 1973.

He is currently undergoing a year's course of cognitive behavioural therapy and treatment for sex offenders.

Miss Gibbons, counsel for the Metropolitan Police who applied for the order, told the magistrates that Fernandez's offending has escalated in recent years.

In December 1998, a social worker reported to the police that Fernandez had befriended a woman with a 13-year-old son, and bought him an expensive games console.

In November 2000, he was reported to be hanging around schools and public toilets.

In December 2006, a Christmas card that Fernandez sent to a 15-year-old boy after befriending him on the social networking website bebo.com was intercepted by the boy's mum and reported to police.

Earlier this year, Kingston police, responding to a further allegation, searched Fernandez's house and found indecent images of children on his computer. The investigation into this is still ongoing.

There are five requirements on the SOPO, including informing the police about any change in address and not being allowed to take on any paid activity or unpaid voluntary work that would bring Fernandez into unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 16.

Chairman of the bench, Mr Mulholland, imposed the order for an indefinite period, with a minimum of five years.