PAEDOPHILE police surgeon Dr Robert Wells was freed to live just a short distance from a Cwmbran primary school while he awaited trial for a string of sickening sex attacks on young girls, the Argus can reveal today.

And shocked parents have expressed their outrage that a man, described by police as a "premeditated and calculated paedophile", was allowed to live in their community.

Today Wells was reported to be on 24-hour suicide watch at Bullingdon Prison, Oxfordshire.

On Tuesday 52-year-old Wells was jailed for 15 years for drugging, raping and indecently assaulting girls aged between 5 and 11.

Wells practised in Caerleon in the 1980s before being declared bankrupt after his extravagant lifestyle, which earned him the nickname the 'Romeo doctor', saw him run up debts of £1.5 million.

After Wells' arrest in 2003 when he was living in Brighton and Southampton working as a forensic medical examiner, he was bailed to live at an undisclosed address in the Cwmbran area.

But the Argus can reveal the house where he lived for a year while he awaited trial, was just a short distance from Hollybush Primary School and local nursery.

One mother said: "I was gobsmacked when I realised it was him. He has been living in our street for a year.

"I know people are treated like they are innocent until proven guilty, but surely this is not the right place for someone accused of the crimes he was.

"Now he has been convicted it makes you feel much worse."

Gwent police said Wells had been kept under close supervision while he was on bail and stressed there had been no complaints about his behaviour.

But another mother of a Holybush school pupil, said: "There had been rumours that he had been accused of molesting youngsters. When something like this happens, it makes you think you just do not know who could be living in your community.

"I have young children and there are a lot of families living around here. It is hard to believe the authorities would allow someone like that to live right by a school and nursery."

A Gwent police spokeswoman said: "Mr Wells was bailed to an address in the Cwmbran area. He was monitored closely for the period he was on bail including close supervision and a multi- agency risk assessment was carried out.

"We are extremely mindful of the potential concern of the people in the community and we have done our best to safeguard residents in the area where he resided. We have had no reports of any further incidents involving Robert Wells while he was on bail."

There was no-one available to comment from Hollybush Primary School.