DISGRACED Accrington Stanley mascot Alan Smith has put his Stan the Monkey costume up for grabs on Internet auction site e-Bay.

Smith, 51, who appeared in the outfit at matches, was shown the red card by the club last August after appearing in court charged with sexual activity with a 14-year-old girl.

Burnley Crown Court heard how he prodded the girl's bottom with a pool cue in a pub. He later followed her into a kitchen and turned off the lights, asking her if she was afraid of the dark. He then pulled up her knickers and made a comment about their colour.

He was given six months in jail but walked free as he had served five-and-a-half months in custody awaiting trial. A further five charges against him were dropped.

The club immediately dropped him as their mascot and asked him to stay away from games - a ban which ended last month.

Smith, who lives in Accrington, has now come under fire for auctioning his well-known monkey costume on the Internet.

On the site he describes the costume as "the only one in the country" and says the auction is a chance for fans to own the first Accrington Stanley mascot outfit.

But one fan posted a website message saying: "I have just been on e-Bay and have noticed that Stan the Monkey's suit is being sold there. I think we can all guess by whom as it is not an official club auction. Am I the only one who finds this sickening?"

However, Smith defended his decision to sell the costume alongside other Stanley memorabilia such as an away shirt worn by club captain Peter Cavanagh.

He said: "Basically I have decided to put it up for auction because I want to get rid of it. If I want to sell my possessions that is up to me. I am very annoyed that the past has been brought up again. I bought the costume for the club and it is mine."

Stanley chief executive Rob Heys said: "I think the fans and the club are very disappointed that this incident has been dragged up yet again.

"We have a new mascot now in Fraser the Eagle who has done good work and we have moved away from Stan the Monkey. The incident was more than a year ago."

At the time of going to press, the highest bid for the Stan the Monkey costume was £20.