A pervert whose abuse of a young girl came to light after she watched a TV programme about paedophile Jimmy Savile has been told to pay his victim £15,000 compensation.

Charles Huggett, 50, was warned at an earlier court hearing he faced a "fairly substantial" financial order when sentencing was adjourned for reports.

Huggett molested his young victim more than 30 years ago when she was aged about seven or eight and he was 15 or 16. Huggett was living in Dartford at the time.

Maidstone Crown Court heard the victim burst into tears when she saw the programme about the former radio DJ and TV presenter.

Prosecutor Helen McCormack said the woman was watching with her mother, who expressed her surprise that Savile's victims had not spoken out earlier.

She then asked her daughter: "If anything like that happened to you, would you come forward?", to which Huggett's victim replied: "You put me in a difficult position, Mum, because it did happen to me."

The abuse was reported to police and Huggett, who now lives in Basingstoke, Hampshire, was arrested in February last year.

He confessed to touching the young girl inappropriately and later pleaded guilty to two offences of indecent assault.

However, he denied a further charge of indecent assault and one of indecency with a child and was acquitted of those charges after a trial last month.

At his sentencing hearing, Recorder David Jeremy QC imposed the compensation order after he heard that Huggett has £85,000 savings.

The judge also imposed a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered Huggett to carry out 150 hours' unpaid work.

He must also sign on the sex offenders' register and was made subject to a five-year sexual offences prevention order.

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