A lifeguard who persuaded three schoolgirls to perform sex acts on him in the boiler room of a leisure centre today received a suspended jail sentence.

Mark Stephen Eyles, 23, gave in to temptation after being constantly propositioned by adoring young girls while working as a poolside attendant.

Teesside Crown Court was told that the handsome lifeguard, who was 21 at the time, took two 15-year-olds into the boiler room of the Dolphin Leisure Centre in Darlington, County Durham, before locking the door and switching the lights off in July 1999.

Once inside, he persuaded one of the youngsters to carry out two sex acts on him while her friend watched.

A fortnight later, she returned with another friend and was again led to the room where Eyles demanded gratification.

Both girls refused, but father-of-one Eyles persuaded them to perform oral sex.

The court heard that Eyles, of Silverdale Place, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, later approached a 13-year-old girl and her friend and tried to get them to go with him to the boiler room but they refused.

Eyles's dark secret was only discovered when he barred the girls and their friends from the leisure centre for misbehaving and they threatened to expose him.

He pleaded his innocence until the day he was due to stand trial this July when he admitted six counts of indecent assault on young girls and one charge of indecency with a child under 14.

A not guilty plea was accepted to a charge of importuning between May and September 1999, while a charge of indecent assault against a fourth girl, which he denied, was left on file.

The court was told that Eyles had given in to a moment of weakness because he was constantly propositioned by girls at the leisure centre.

Thomas Moran, defending said in mitigation: "The flirtation was persistent. He received a number of cards, he was telephoned constantly at home to the extent that unfortunately his parents had to change their number.

"It appears that this group of adolescent girls behaved collectively in a way in which they wouldn't dream of behaving individually. There was a fairly persistent flirtation going on."

Judge Peter Fox QC told Eyles that he had escaped prison because he was of previous good character and had a fiancee and a young child to support.

Eyles was given concurrent 18-month sentences for the six indecent assault charges and a six-month concurrent sentence for indecency on a young girl. All sentences were suspended for two years.

Judge Fox said: "I can take into account your good character, the fact that your girlfriend with whom you have been now for some three years or so and your young child all need your support, but the long and short of it is that you failed to handle the advances made towards you by these silly girls whom the law still has to protect."

Eyles was told his name would be placed on the Sex Offenders Register, the exact length of time was not announced.