Philip Anthony Simms of Rutland Street pleaded guilty to four offences of indecent assault on a girl and one of indecency with a child over a 12-month period.

At the time the girl was just 11 years old.

Because the offences were committed under old sexual offences laws, Judge Annabel Carr QC told Doncaster Crown Court she was limited in her powers and she jailed Simms for 18 months, as well as placing him on the sex offenders' register

The offences came to light after the victim – now a 30-year-old woman who has lived with memories of her sex ordeal nightmare for 20 years – finally shared her memories of the crimes with her husband after she married.

The offences on the woman, who cannot be identified, went back to 1989 and 1990.

Simms, 53, started abusing her at her home in Balby, Doncaster when she was aged 11 and it developed from there.

Judge Carr told him he had "used her for your own selfish purposes and she has had to live with your conduct all these years".

Corinne Wilson, prosecuting, said the offences started with Simms kissing the girl – then he told her he wanted to teach her about sex.

Sexual acts and touching were committed against her, both in her bed and on a settee when no-one else was in the house, but he stopped when she complained he was hurting her. The woman finally reported him to police last year when she became concerned that he might commit offences against other children of a similar age with whom he had contact.

Ms Wilson said Simms was arrested and initially said the child had instigated the activity because she was "very, very forward" and he got no sexual gratification from it.

He said he didn't want sex but told officers: "Somebody's got to take the blame so it had better be me."

Mitigating, Paul O'Shea said Simms accepted he had breached a position of trust but it had not continued for year after year.

"He has come today prepared for a custodial sentence," Mr O'Shea said. "He has led a hard working and productive life and has had to deal with the fact that he was going to prison and that's always going to be difficult."