A man who sexually abused seven children, all aged under ten, was jailed yesterday.

A seven-year-old girl told her mother about incidents involving Geoffrey Giles after watching a television soap with a pregnancy storyline, said prosecutor Deborah Sherwin.

It emerged that Giles, 53, had preyed on four girls and three boys in the garage of his home in Redcar, east Cleveland, over seven years, Teesside Crown Court heard. The offences also took place inside his house when his wife and daughter were away, said Miss Sherwin.

Giles wept in the court dock as details were revealed how his wife left him after his arrest, and their home was now for sale.

Rod Hunt, defending, said: "He has come to court in a spirit of humility and shame."

Giles, of Coral Way, Redcar, was jailed for two years and nine months after he pleaded guilty to indecency with a child and two of indecent assault.

He was ordered to register as a sex offender indefinitely and was disqualified from working with children.