A man who exploited two girls for his own sexual pleasure has been jailed for seven years and nine months at Bradford Crown Court.

Rodney Smith, 58, was convicted by a jury five weeks ago on three specimen charges of indecent assault and one of rape.

Passing sentence yesterday, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Stephen Gullick, said Smith had used the girls for his own sexual gratification and pleasure and had expressed no remorse.

He ordered that Smith, of Acre Drive, Eccleshill, Bradford, must sign on the Sex Offenders Register for the rest of his life, imposed a lifetime ban on working with children and made an indefinite restraining order preventing him contacting his victims in any way.

For Smith, it was stated that he had no previous convictions and was facing surgery for cancer.

During the trial, it was claimed the abuse began when one of the girls was only 12. Now aged 20, she told the court that Smith threatened to tell her parents that she was stealing from him if she said anything.

"He would give me money and tell me to pay it back in sexual favours otherwise he would tell my dad that I had been stealing money," she said. "I would tell him to stop but he never did.."

Smith had been found guilty of two specimen counts of indecent assault and one of rape against that woman and a specimen charge of indecent assault against another woman who is now 21.

He was found not guilty of five specimen counts of rape.

The jury heard that, after his arrest, Smith told the police the allegations were "a pack of lies" and denied anything improper had taken place.