A GREAT-grandfather who simulated sex with a schoolgirl has been jailed for six years by a judge at Worcester Crown Court.

Brian Parker, aged 75, was convicted by a jury of eight counts of sexual assault on a child, one of exposure and one of causing a child to watch a sex act.

Judge Richard Rundell told Parker, of Signal House, Redstone Caravan Park, Stourport, that he would remain a risk to young girls for the rest of his life.

He said the defendant was responsible for “appalling acts of indecency” and his behaviour towards another girl was revealed during the trial as “graphic and appalling” although not criminal.

The judge said he had drawn back from an indeterminate sentence because of the pensioner’s age and the fact that his past behaviour had been made public.

In 2006 Parker was given a three year community order by a judge for five offences of making indecent pseudo images of children by downloading them from the internet.

The judge said some of the present offending happened while Parker was taking part in a sex offenders’ programme under the community order.

He passed an indefinite sexual offences prevention order on Parker forbidding contact with any child under the age of 16. Parker must also sign the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.

Prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu said Parker was found guilty at Hereford Crown Court last November after a four day trial.

His victim had been a girl aged between 10 and 13. The offences happened between January 2007 and December 2009. The most serious offence had been simulated sex with the victim.

Defence counsel Adam Western said Parker was arrested at Manchester airport in January last year.

Due to deteriorating health he was “a very different man” to the one who carried out the offences.

“Prison bears down hard on all offenders, but particularly on the elderly,” he said.

“He has lost four stones in weight during his remand in custody and has to put up with a hard regime.”

Mr Western said Parker and his partner, a woman in her late 50s, had been together for 28 years. He rings her five times a day from prison.

Parker felt their separation acutely, particularly as she was suffering from illness and he could not be with her at a difficult time.