A PERVERTED Halesowen pensioner has been jailed for 32 months after he confessed to a hospital chaplain that he had carried out a string of sickening sex attacks on a young girl.

Stanley Wood felt the chaplain would keep his secret confidential but he told a nurse and the police were "rightly" alerted, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The 66-year-old, who had undergone hip surgery at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, had been seeking "God's forgiveness" for what he had done - Robert Price, prosecuting, said.

But he was then completely surprised because what he thought he had admitted in confidence ended up in the hands of police officers.

Judge Barry Berlin told Wood his offending was "horrible" because he had groomed and then deliberately isolated his young victim.

The judge said: "He believed the chaplain would keep his secret. This sort of sickening and perverted behaviour creates lasting damage to a child.

And he told Wood: "I accept you expressed remorse and when you confessed to the chaplain you believed he would keep the information confidential.

"This was extremely serious abuse conducted over a relatively lengthy period. You have been assessed by probation as someone who poses a high risk of serious harm to children - particularly females under 16 years of age."

Wood, of Bournebrook Crescent, admitted three charges of sexual assault on a child under 13 and he was also made the subject of a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order and told he must register as a Sex Offender for ten years.

In a victim impact statement - the girl's mother described how she had been badly affected by Wood and was now afraid to leave the house.

The child was having nightmares, was no longer confident and had been receiving counselling, said Mr Price.

Philip Vollans, defending Wood who had told the child not to tell anyone about what happened, said he was full of remorse for his actions.

He told the court Wood was a man of previous good character and he accepted what he had done was "grave".