An alcoholic man aged 61 who molested a three-year-old girl while on bail for breaking into a neighbour's house with intent to commit a sex act has been jailed for nine years.

And Ian Anderson will be on licence for an extra five years after a judge ruled he posed a significant risk of serious harm from future offending.

Anderson, who was jailed at Swindon Crown Court last week, also has a previous conviction from the 1980s for burglary with intent to commit rape.

Anderson first broke into the home of an elderly woman in Calne in August 2012 and stood over her bed as she slept.

The woman, who has since died, woke to find him standing there and after talking to him, took him downstairs and made him a cup of coffee.

When she spoke to the police she recalled a dream from a few weeks earlier when someone was in her room and realised it must have been him.

Anderson had been arrested, released on bail, and was dues to stand trial on those matters on Monday, October 7, last year.

But that was called off when he was arrested for the second molesting the young child at a neighbouring house on the previous Wednesday.

He went to the family home of the young victim and knocked at the front door asking about the woman across the road.

The little girl's mum told him she had died but soon afterwards he sneaked back in to the house where he indecently touched the three-year-old girl.

Anderson, of Linden Close, Calne, pleaded not guilty to three counts of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and one of sexual touching of a girl under 13.

He was found guilty of the second incident at the old woman's house and not guilty of the first incident, which she thought was a dream.

The jury also found him guilty of the sexual touching and were not required to reach a verdict on the trespass matter as it was an alternative charge.

At the trial the dead victim's police interview was played to the jury as evidence.

Speaking after the verdict the mother of the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "I am so grateful for the help from Wiltshire Police, especially from PCSO Cook, for finding him so quickly and the witness care service have been very informative and incredibly supportive.

"I wouldn't have been able to handle all of this if it wasn't for everyone being so supportive and friendly. I am glad it's finally over and we got justice."