A convicted killer is back in jail after being found guilty of sex offences committed more than 30 years ago.

Pensioner Kenneth Mockford, of Church Road, Offham, West Malling, had denied six charges of indecency with a child.

Maidstone Crown Court heard he forced a girl to perform sex acts on him while telling her they were playing "cowboys and cowgirls" when committing the offences.

"She was told that's what cowgirls did as a matter of routine," said prosecutor Piers Reed. "But he told her she must not tell her parents or anyone else.

"The story about cowboys and cowgirls was repeated, a story about him making a film with her having a starring role, and she believed it."

"The story about cowboys and cowgirls was repeated, a story about him making a film with her having a starring role, and she believed it..." - prosecutor Piers Reed

The 70-year-old, known as Ray, was arrested last year. He denied all the allegations.

Mockford, who previously lived in Kingfisher Road, Larkfield, wept when asked in evidence if he had abused the victim. "No, I did not," he said.

After the unanimous guilty verdicts, the jury heard he was jailed for three-and-a-half years in 1988 for manslaughter and shortening a shotgun barrel.

In July last year, he was given a suspended sentence for possessing a firearm without a certificate.

Judge Martin Joy said under current law Mockford could face a prison sentence of 11 to 17 years for the latest offences, but the maximum he could impose under "old law" was six years.

"It may well be that members of the public would rightly consider that because of the gap left in the legislation there could be serious under-sentencing," he said.

Simon Wickens, defending, said Mockford had very serious offences on his record, but had no convictions for sex abuse. His health problems included suffering from angina.

Adjourning sentence for reports until January 13, the judge said: "You have been convicted on overwhelming evidence of a course of indecency with a child when she was very young.

"Nowadays, it would be described as oral rape. You were convicted of these completely abhorrent offences. They are unnatural and abhorrent to right-thinking people. You can expect a severe custodial sentence."

Judge Joy added the victim - now in her mid-30s - was a victim of "a highly manipulative rapist" and assured her she did nothing wrong.