A convicted paedophile film-maker is facing outrage after issuing a casting call for the part of a young girl who flees her abusive grandfather in his new horror film.

Victor Salva, best known for the Jeepers Creepers movies, plans to shoot sequel Jeepers Creepers III on location in British Columbia, Canada, this spring. But a call for the role of 13-year-old Addison has now been removed from a casting website after the local actors’ union publicised the film-maker’s past.

In its circular to local talent agents, the Union of British Columbia Performers noted Salva’s 1988 conviction for molesting a 12-year-old boy, Nathan Forrest Winters, who had acted in two of his films. Winters was abused while shooting the 1989 film Clownhouse. Salva filmed one of the episodes.

“It has recently come to our attention that a casting breakdown has gone out for a feature film entitled Jeepers Creepers III, and that the director of the film, Victor Salva, was convicted of sexual misconduct in 1988,” read the circular. “The conviction allegedly resulted from misconduct involving a minor whom Mr Salva was directing at the time. At this time we would like to remind our members and their agents that, under Article A2702 (Safety & Welfare of a Minor) of the BC Master Production Agreement, a performer has the right to refuse work if they believe that the nature of the work is unsafe.”

Deadline reports the casting notice, published on the Breakdown Services website, called for an 18-year-old actor to play Addison. The site has nevertheless removed the message and posted its own statement to agents.

“Upon learning of this notice and our own verification of the facts surrounding Salva’s conviction, Breakdown Services has removed this project from its files,” the statement read. “All submissions made by any agent on this project are no longer available to the casting director nor any member of the production staff.”

Salva, a one-time protege of Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, was jailed for three years in 1988, serving 15 months. He did not work in Hollywood for five years following his conviction, but later bounced back with the hit Jeepers Creepers films and Disney fantasy Powder. Winters himself picketed the latter’s Los Angeles premiere in 1995, handing out leaflets urging the public to boycott the film. “Please don’t spend your money on this movie,” the leaflets read. “It would just go to line the pockets of this child molester.”

Jeepers Creepers III marks 57-year-old Salva’s first major studio film since Jeepers Creepers II was released in 2003. In 2006 the film-maker made a public plea for forgiveness while promoting the independent film Peaceful Warrior. “I pled guilty to a terrible crime, and I’ve spent the rest of my life trying to make up for it,” he told the LA Times. “For almost 20 years, I’ve been involved with helping others, I’ve been in therapy, and I’ve made movies. But I paid my debt to society and apologised to the young man. And all I can hope is that people will give me a chance to redeem myself.”