A MAN who began a campaign of sexual abuse on a young girl eight years ago has been jailed for 18 months.

James Bryant, 63, was caught after the victim began to have behaviour problems as a result of the attacks, Worcester Crown Court heard.

Bryant, of Burcher Green, Comberton, Kidderminster, pleaded guilty to three indecent assaults and three counts of indecency with a child.

Judge Marten Coates ordered him to register as a sex offender for ten years.

The girl was aged seven when he began the assaults and they continued for two years, said Pardeep Tiwana, prosecuting.

The offences did not come to light until last October. Bryant made immediate confessions when he was interviewed by police.

Samantha Forsyth, defending, said Bryant's admissions saved the girl from having to give evidence.

He lived alone in his flat and had been ostracised by his family.

A psychiatrist concluded that he was not a predatory sexual offender but an opportunist.

Miss Forsyth added: "He is not a man who goes looking for children.

"He does not sit outside school grounds or hang around nightclubs to target young girls."

Bryant's outlook was bleak.

He had mobility and breathing problems and was on anti-depressants.

He was prone to suicide and likely to be on his own for the rest of his life.