PAEDOPHILE Michael Moore has been jailed for five years after a court heard how he abused four young girls. The 50-year-old railway worker targeted one child as young as two to carry out his depraved acts.

And when police searched his house after he was arrested they also found child pornography on his home computer.

Ian Halliday, prosecuting, told a judge at Swindon Crown Court how Moore first targeted two young girls.

He started to abuse the older girl when she was just seven years old, pinning her down to the bed with one hand while he indecently assaulted her with the other.

During the attacks, which spanned three years, he would warn the youngster that he would stop taking her to the cinema if she told anyone.

Mr Halliday said that after about a year, and as a result of the girl doing her best to resist his advances, Moore turned his attentions to another girl.

She too was about seven years old when he started abusing her and would weep as he held her down and carried out his attacks.

The matters came to a head when the two girls plucked up the courage to tell an adult what was happening and Moore was reported to the police.

When questioned, Moore admitted what he had been doing. He also told police he had abused two other young girls, aged two and 10.

Moore also told officers that they would find images of child pornography on his computer. A total of 152 pictures were recovered but it was apparent Moore had used software to cover his tracks, the court heard.

Moore, of St Margarets Green, Stratton, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of indecent assault, two of incitement to gross indecency with a child and 10 of making indecent images of children. The court was told that the indecent assault and the child porn matters were both specimen charges.

Paul Orton, defending, said the best mitigation his client had was that he had pleaded guilty and not forced the children to give evidence at a trial.

He said Moore had worked on the railways in Swindon for 23 years and had, up until these offences, led a blameless life.

Moore, he said, owned his own home where he lived with his parents but that was now to be sold to clear debts and allow his parents to get their own place.

He said: "It beggars belief why he committed these offences. I don't think anyone will ever know why. It is totally out of character for him.

"One hopes the damage done to the children is not great, that they are young enough to get over it and forget it. He has done all he can to say 'I'm guilty, I'm sorry'."

Judge Tom Longbotham said: "In the pre-sentence report it says you are not a predatory sex offender but present a risk to any child known to you. The risk of harm to children has to be assessed as high."

As well as jailing him, he ordered that he must be on licence for three years when he is released so he could go on a sex offenders' programme.

He will also have to register as a sex offender for life and is banned from working with children.

Barrie Hudson