A girl guide was indecently assaulted by a scout leader as she rehearsed for her role in gang show he was putting on.

Andrew Barratt took the 12-year-old to the rear of the scout hut during a break in rehearsals in St Albans and kissed and fondled her.

The offences happened over 35 years ago when the girl was aged 11 and 12, but today the past finally caught up with Barratt when he was jailed for six years.

He appeared at St Albans crown court to admit four charges of indecently assaulting the girl during rehearsals for two gang shows in that took place 1980 and then in 1981 at St Albans City Hall.

Barratt, now 63, who lives in Ashfordby, Leicestershire, also admitted three other offences of indecent assault involving two other young girls who were not guides as wall as taking an indecent image of another young girl.

All the offences took place over a 13 year period between 1979 and 1992.

Nigel Ogborne prosecuting said the offences on the girl guide finally came to light in 2012 when the victim, by now an adult, finally reported the matter to Hertfordshire Constabulary.

She told officers how during rehearsals for the gang shows put on over two two successive years in 1979 and in 1980, Barratt indecently assaulted her at the District Scouting Headquarters in Waverley Road.

An investigation into Barratt was started and three more victims who had never been in the girl guide movement were identified from others parts of the country.

Miss Elise Jeremiah defending said Barratt was in poor health and now felt remorse for his crimes.

Judge Stephen Warner jailed Barratt for six years and told him "These are serious offences and involved predatory and manipulative behaviour towards these young girls."

He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the next 10 years and his name will also go on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period.