A SERIAL sex offender from Sandbach has been jailed for 21 months after sexually assaulting a girl he was child-minding.

William Leicester, aged 50, of London Road, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court on Tuesday to four counts of indecent assault and had two other offences taken into consideration.

Ben Jones, prosecuting, said Leicester had molested the girl when she was between the ages of 12 and 14 while he was looking after her at her parents' house at Bootle in Merseyside.

Sentencing, Judge Ian Crompton said: "This was an extremely serious course of conduct."

He placed him on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, disqualified him from working with young children indefinitely and ordered he be on extended licence for two years.

Defending, Simon Killeen, said Leicester needs help in recognising the psychological damage his sex attacks have on his victims.

Leicester has a previous conviction in 1974 for indecently assaulting a girl of 14.