A "SAD and lonely" divorced man who sexually abused a schoolboy has started an 18 month jail term.

Brian Hall, 56, of Oban Drive, Blackburn, admitted specimen allegations of two counts of indecent assault and two of indecency with a child. He is not related to his victim.

Sentencing Hall, a diabetic with no previous convictions, Judge Raymond Bennett said it was always sad to see a man of his age, of good character, in a dock facing such charges.

He added: "It is always painful to have to consider sending somebody of your age to prison, but this boy was only nine when you got to know him and you took advantage of it and befriended him.

"It is difficult for a child of his age to know what's right and wrong. They are influenced very much by adults."

Henry Blackshaw, prosecuting, said the victim, from Blackburn, got to know Hall as the defendant was walking his dog.

The boy watched pornographic videos with Hall who started to commit sex acts in front of him and then got the child to do it to him. Later, he began to touch the schoolboy and performed sex acts on him.

Mr Blackshaw said Hall's activities came to light last year, when the victim, now a teenager, told a friend, who in turn told the boy's mother.

When she confronted him, the boy admitted it was true but told her that Hall had said if he ever told his mother, he would make it appear the boy was lying.

Roger Baldwin, defending, said the offences were committed several years ago.

Hall realised what he had done was serious and he would have to live with it for the rest of his life.

Hall said that although he realised he had done something wrong and had to be punished, he did not feel he was a bad person.

He said the case was a sad one. Hall had worked long and hard, had a perfectly normal married life and had a son of 29.

He had been divorced in 1982 after he had an affair and Hall had lived alone, finding solace in drinking with friends.

Mr Baldwin said Hall, a former driver for Walkersteel, was "lonely, sad and rather pathetic," and was suffering from depression.

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