A "high risk" 69-year-old Worcester man with a history of sex offences against children daring back half a century has been sent to jail for indecently assaulting a young girl.

Peter Cooper, of Hawkwood Crescent, carried out the offences against the girl, who was aged eight at the time, in 1996, Worcester Crown Court was told.

One day he lifted her up above his shoulders and sexually assaulted her. Later the same day he saw her sitting on the toilet and gestured to her to lift up her skirt but she refused and he did not carry out any further offences.

He was convicted in 1998 of offences dating back to 1990 against two other girls, then aged eight and five.

Many years later, the girl from the 1996 offence, then in her twenties, saw Cooper again and the shock brought the memory back to her. She made a complaint to police in April, 2014. He was arrested and pleaded guilty on the day of a trial.

The court heard Cooper had 17 convictions for 34 offences. He had been convicted of indecently assaulting a young boy and girl in 1966 and having sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl in 1979.

Abigail Nixon, defending, said Cooper had changed his life after undertaking a thinking skills programme during his time in jail following the 1998 conviction.

"He was given an insight into the effect of his offending on his victims," she said.

Recorder Denis Desmond gave Cooper a sexual harm prevention order banning him from any contact by any means with under 16s except with the consent of their parents or in the course of everyday life until further notice.

"It is clear that you show no remorse and you are a high risk," he told Cooper.

He was jailed for a total of 15 months and will have to register as a sex offender for life.