A PENSIONER who sexually abused five children was jailed for seven years yesterday.

Michael Doherty carried out the attacks on girls aged six, eight, ten and 11, and on a boy of eight.

Appearing for sentence at Teesside Crown Court, the 68-year-old admitted five counts of indecent assault and a charge of gross indecency.

The court heard that allegations of him sexually assaulting children were made against him in 1998 and 2001, but police had insufficient evidence to charge him.

He was eventually caught after he carried out a sex act on a six-year-old girl in front of her brother, and the children told their mother.

Doherty had been entrusted to babysit the children on each occasion and used the opportunity to molest them.

Christine Egerton, prosecuting, said that after he was arrested for assaulting the girl in September last year, he admitted to police attacks on other children.

In December 2001, he molested an 11-year-old girl in her bedroom and told her to carry out a sex act on him.

The eight-year-old boy was assaulted by the pensioner in 2001 and again in June last year, when he was ten.

Doherty also confessed to assaulting a ten-year-old girl.

Mrs Egerton said: "He said he was glad he had been caught and was sorry for doing the things he did to the children."

Robin Denny, in mitigation, said Doherty, of Gordon Street, Hartlepool, could not explain why he assaulted the children but was ashamed of his conduct.

Recorder Alistair MacDonald said it was an aggravating feature of the case that Doherty continued to offend after he was first interviewed by police in 1998.