A MAN from Bishopstone who “has his eyes closed to his offending” has been jailed for three years for child sex offences.

Alan Roy Morris, 62, was found guilty of three counts of exposure, one of sexual assault and one of causing or inciting a child under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity.

Salisbury Crown Court heard on Wednesday that the incidents took place between January and June last year.

Marcus Tregilgas-Davey, defending, said: “While he has a relevant previous conviction, it happened more than 20 years ago and between then and these offences he has led a law abiding life and, in terms of his employment, a productive one.

“I accept he has brought it entirely on himself but he has lost his home and a relationship of 16 years and he has been ostracised by the few members of his family and friends he had.”

Mr Tregilgas-Davey told the court Morris, of Whitlock Rise, was “not a man in particularly good health” and urged Recorder Peter Towler to consider a community order.

“He has his eyes closed to his offending,” said Mr Tregilgas-Davey. “A community order is the one thing that may help this man address what has led him to these offences.”

But Recorder Towler said: “It seems to me that such a course of treatment would be unlikely to work because of his constant denial of his behaviour that there has been anything wrong.”

Sentencing Morris to three years in prison, Recorder Towler said: “You don’t appear to accept guilt or that there was anything wrong in the way you were behaving.”

Morris was also given a lifetime sexual offences prevention order, restricting his access to children, and will remain on the sex offenders register indefinitely.