A former head teacher has been jailed for the sexual abuse of two children during the 1970s and 1980s.

Robin Mellor was sentenced to six years in prison after he was found guilty of a string of sex offences which he carried out at his own home.

Mellor, aged 74, abused his victims during their visits to his house in Ditton, for private tutoring sessions.

He targeted one child from the age of 11, repeatedly abusing her over an 18 month period. He also showed the victim pornographic images and asked her to copy what was depicted. He assaulted a second child, also during lessons, attempting to engage her in sexual activity and committing an indecent act in front of her.

Mellor, most recently living at North Street, Braunton, Devon, was arrested in January 2018 and later charged with five counts of indecent assault on a child and a charge of inciting a child to commit an act of gross indecency.

He was further charged with making indecent images of a child, after 20 illegal images were discovered on a computer seized when he was arrested.

Appearing before Maidstone Crown Court, Mellor pleaded not guilty and the case went to trial, but on Thursday he was convicted on all counts.

As well as a six-year prison sentence, he was made subject of a sexual harm prevention order and added to the sex offenders’ register, both for indefinite terms.

Detective Sergeant Rob Grieve said: "Robin Mellor grossly abused his position of trust as a teacher and tutor, in order to sexually abuse children. "Today’s sentence will not take away the emotional and physical trauma his victims were made to endure as children, but it will hopefully bring some closure."

Because of a reluctance to possibly identify his victims, police will not say at which schools Mellor taught, only that he taught "at several primary schools in West Kent, in areas which included Ditton and Larkfield."

Police said they couldn't rule out the possibility that he may have committed further offences which had not yet have been reported.

DS Grieve said: "I would like to thank the two victims in this case for their bravery in coming forward and bringing Mellor to justice.

"I hope their courage empowers any other victims of sexual abuse to have the confidence to contact police. We will always treat victims with dignity and sensitivity and thoroughly investigate any offences."