A Bradford man with “deep and dark” paedophile tendencies has been locked up for three years after he admitted a string of offences of inciting children to engage in sex acts.

Malcolm Delaney, 59, of Roper Lane, Queensbury, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to seven charges of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Two of the offences took place between January 1 and December 31, 2009, two were between January 1 and December 1, 2010, and three took place between January 1 and April 7, 2011.

The charges related to him causing youngsters to perform sexual acts on each other.

Prosecutor John Gregg told Bradford Crown Court yesterday Delaney’s offending came to light when one of his young victims told her mother what had happened.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told Delaney his first conviction was “truly appalling”.

He said: “You have pleaded guilty to seven counts of causing or inciting children under 13 to engage in sexual activity for your own perverted reasons.”

Sentencing him to three years in prison concurrently on each of the seven counts, he told Delaney he had deep and dark paedophile tendencies.

He added: “You don’t seem to have an understanding of the destruction and wrongness and the wickedness of your actions.”

Delaney was made subject to a sexual offences prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register.

The court was told that in interview Delaney had “vehemently” denied any illegal activity.

Nigel Jamieson, for Delaney, said his client utterly denied he was a paedophile in the “classic sense” and struggled to explain why he behaved in such a way.

He accepted the long-standing effects his actions would have on the children, the court was told.

Mr Jamieson said Delaney’s reputation was in ruins.