The defendant initially denied doing anything wrong and the case was due to go to trial. But on the morning of the hearing, the defendant admitted what he had done.

"What you did has had a significant impact on the young girl," said the judge. "You damaged her carefree years."

He said the defendant's previous conviction should have been "seared in your brain as a deterrent" and he still posed a threat to the public.

Kevin Hopper, in mitigation, said it was a "completely irrational act" but OConnor was the type of person who would benefit from a treatment programme.

Judge Evans said the defendant had previously been given the chance to complete a sex offender course but had left before it was finished. He said OConnor had "underlying perverted attitudes."

The defendant was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from contact with children under 18.