A PAEDOPHILE who carried out ‘systematic grooming’ to abuse children over nine years has been jailed.

Gordon Ingram befriended the children's parents and became a frequent visitor to their homes between 1995 and 2004, evening taking the children on holiday and looking after them at his home.

It was that friendship that allowed him to sexual abuse five children for his own sexual gratification.

On Friday at Winchester Crown Court Ingram was jailed for seven years after he was found unanimously guilty following a trial of eight offences of indecently assaulting a child. Some of the offences took place in Basingstoke.

The court was told that Ingram, Southbourne, West Sussex, touched the “genital area of these children either under or over clothing”.

In a statement read to the court, one of the victim’s said: “I think about committing suicide pretty on a daily basis and I feel that I have pretty much zero worth.”

He said that they he had made plans to take his own life, but “I realised I had to see the court case through to make sure he couldn’t ruin anybody else’s like he did mine”.

The victim added: “The fact that he has been found guilty, kinda feels like a chapter of my life coming to a close.”

Another victim said: “I have been suppressing the memory of Gordon and his abuse of us. I have been wondering whether I could have done more to stop him."

As a result of the abuse he suffered, the victim said that he feels he was “emotionally stunted”.

In mitigation, Pamela Brain said: “After a contested trial there is rather a limited amount that perhaps can be said in mitigation.

“I should say that Mr Ingram was affected by hearing the victim impact statements that were read out after he was convicted of these matters. They (the victims) shouldn’t think for one moment that those statements didn’t have a profound impact on him.”

After the 64-year-old was interviewed by police he lost his job and home and since then has been sleeping on friends' sofas.

He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of children and attempting to sexually communicate with a child.

In sentencing, Her Honour Judge Angela Morris, Recorder of Winchester, said: “You were more than a mere acquaintance or friendly neighbour helping out with the children on occasions. You were a very frequent visitor [to their parents’] homes; you took the children on holiday and were entrusted with them at your own home on occasions.”

She said that Ingram’s association to the children was akin to “quasi-parental” and what he did was a breach of that.

“The sexual abuse you perpetrated on these children was a systematic process of grooming over a long period of time and for the most part in their home, a place which should have felt safe and secure,” Judge Morris added.