A WIDOWER who molested a little girl and downloaded child porn has been jailed for two and a half years.

Gerald Charnley, 55, touched the child intimately twice, once pulling down her knickers.

He admitted it "turned him on" and later told police he had intended to make love to her, Burnley Crown Court heard.

The court was told how the defendant had a haul of almost 300 obscene images of youngsters on his computer - 88 of them showing children being abused and engaging in sex with adults.

Charnley admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child under 13 and 12 charges of making an indecent image of a child.

Judge Pamela Badley told him only custody was appropriate.

She said the 88 level four images, which were next to the most serious level, were not the sort of material that right-thinking people wanted to see.

She added the defendant had begun to accept he would need help at some stage.

Charnley, of Cambridge Street, Brierfield, was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and was banned from working with children.

Sergey Prokofiev, prosecuting, told the court the victim told her mother the defendant had pulled her knickers down.

Charnley was later confronted but neither denied nor admitted the allegation.

Police were alerted and the victim was video interviewed.

Mr Prokofiev said the defendant's house was searched and police found DVDs of porn as well as indecent images of children.

The defendant was interviewed, fully admitted both sex incidents and said he had intended to make love to the child. He had no previous convictions.

Jeremy Lasker, defending, said Charnley had come to court fully expecting an immediate custodial sentence.

He was rather a lonely man, possibly as a result of losing his wife after 18 years of marriage, about 10 years ago.

He had lost the majority of his family.

Mr Lasker added: "The sad picture today is him giving up his tenancy of his home.

"He doesn't really know what's going to happen to him after he comes out of prison.

"He will have to start again as a single man, no doubt under the rigours of a Sex Offences Prevention Order.

"It's all very bleak but I accept he's brought it all on himself."