A man has been banned from working with children for the rest of his life for indecently assaulting three girls.
A court heard how Alan Norman breached a girl's trust in him by indecently assaulting her for his own "sexual desires".
Norman, 64, was jailed for a total of two-and-a-half years when he appeared in court for sentence.
He had denied five charges of indecent assault on three girls but was convicted after a trial. Sentence had been adjourned for reports.
Judge Charles Gratwicke told Norman: "People who abuse young girls take away their innocence an innocence that is all too short these days.
"Anyone who abuses young girls in order to gratify their sexual desires can and must expect custodial sentences to mark the public abhorrence of this type of behaviour."
The trial heard how Norman, of The Broadway, Jaywick, indecently assaulted one young girl while she sat on his lap at a bar.
He also told another girl she was beautiful before indecently assaulting her.
Norman claimed the indecent assaults had never taken place at a social club in Great Clacton.
Roslayne Mandil-Wade, mitigating, told the court Norman still denied the assaults had taken place.
He has lost everything, including his home and family, Miss Mandil-Wade said, and while he was on remand in prison, suffered a heart attack.
Norman was also banned from working with children for life and put on the sex offenders' register for ten years.
Published Wednesday January 21, 2004
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