A 56-YEAR-OLD Bradford man has been jailed for seven years for a campaign of degrading sexual abuse against two girls.

William McGuiness was himself a teenager when he abused the youngsters 40 years ago, Bradford Crown Court heard.

McGuiness, of Thornaby Drive, Clayton, was last month convicted by a jury of eleven charges of indecent assault.

He was remanded in custody until yesterday's sentencing hearing.

During the trial, prosecutor Mark McKone said that McGuiness was aged 14 to 19 when he molested the girls.

He sexually abused one child when she was aged between nine and 13 and the second girl on around six occasions when she was 12.

In her victim impact statement, the first girl, now a middle-aged woman with children of her own, said the abuse had ruined her life. She had suffered long-term mental health problems, compounded by having to give evidence at the trial.

Her husband had left her and she was unable to work.

The second victim said she had been left with depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

McGuinness's barrister, Stephen Uttley, said his client had no relevant or recent criminal convictions.

The last time he sexually abused anyone was when he was 19.

He was no threat to children or young women and this would be his first prison sentence.

Mr Uttley said McGuinness's father was a heavy drinking, violent man who was a sexual abuser and terrorised his family.

Judge Neil Davey QC told McGuinness he was responsible for "a campaign of sexual abuse."

Some of the things he did would nowadays be classified as rape and could attract a sentence of life imprisonment.

McGuinness told one girl not to tell anyone and he gave her money to buy her silence.

Judge Davey said her victim impact statement made harrowing reading.

She had suffered severe psychological harm and needed treatment for mental health issues most of her adult life.

The second girl was less psychologically damaged but far from unscathed.

Judge Davey said they were "persistent, degrading and damaging offences."

McGuinness must sign on the sex offenders register for life and he is banned from having unsupervised contact with children.