A convicted sex offender who dressed up as a priest to perform a friend's funeral was jailed for two years at Lewes Crown Court.

Trevor Norkett, 41, of Colinade Gardens, Eastbourne, had been banned by a court from pretending he was a church minister to prevent him from getting close to young boys.

He was arrested last August after conducting a funeral service at Eastbourne Crematorium.

When David Bayliss, 46, a chef, had died, his widow Rebecca asked Norkett to conduct the ceremony because she believed he was a vicar.

The court heard Norkett had been jailed for two years and made the subject of a sex offender order in 1999 at Norwich Crown Court after he was convicted of gross indecency with a young boy. The order specified he was banned from pretending he was an ordained minister.

While living in Eastbourne, he befriended Mr and Mrs Bayliss, who lived in the same block of flats. They believed he was a minister and his name was Father Terry Moat.

After the service, the undertakers believed Norkett was genuine and left him a £79 cheque to cover his expenses in the chapel.

Ann Toynbee, prosecuting, said the offence came to light when police carried out a routine check on Norkett because he was a sex offender and found the religious garments when they searched his home, including a clerical shirt and two white dog collars. There was also a photograph of him dressed as a church minister.

He admitted to police he had dressed as a minister at least twice a week for the year he had been living in Eastbourne.

In court he admitted breaching the order by dressing as a minister for the funeral.

The court heard he had twice before breached the order, in 2001.

Alissa Scott-Beckett, defending, described the case as bizarre. She said Norkett had a lack of confidence and found it easier to make friends while in the guise of a minister.

She said when Mr Bayliss's widow asked him to conduct the service he understood it was a token ceremony and the official service would take place in New Zealand where the dead man's remains would be taken by his widow.

She said: "He admits it was not a sensible thing to do and he had no right to do it. He is not a confident man and when he is dressed as a priest other people approach him. He gets a buzz out of being able to help them. He wears the garments to the pub. He knows he should not have dressed like that but he finds it easier to make friends. He has agreed to consider seeking counselling."

Judge Richard Brown told Norkett: "The reason why you were banned is because you used that disguise in the past to gain access to young children. You have got to learn that dressing up as a priest puts young children at risk of falling into your evil clutches."

The judge ordered the destruction of the garments seized by police.