A DURHAM father who sexually abused his two young daughters over a four-year period has had his 12-month prison sentence trebled.

The 52-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed in July this year after he was convicted at Durham Crown Court of six counts of indecent assault.

But at London's Criminal Appeal Court three top judges yesterday accepted a plea by the Attorney General that the sentence was unduly lenient. Lord Justice Kennedy, sitting with Mr Justice Longmore and Mr Justice Ouseley, said: "An appropriate sentence would be one of three years."

The judge said the offences began at a time when the girls shared a bedroom in the family's home in Durham. Their father would enter their bedroom at night and look at them under their bedding.

The older girl was ten when she was first indecently assaulted by her father. The assaults on the younger girl began when she was nine and continued until she was 13.

In 1998, the girls asked their father to apologise for his actions so they could get on with their lives. But he denied any wrongdoing.

Although described as a broken man by his lawyers, the judge said offences of the greatest gravity were involved and the original 12-month sentence did not reflect the level of criminality.