A PERVERT was today starting a five-year jail term for a 17-year reign of terror in which children were tortured, sexually attacked and humiliated.

David Morris, now 46, was responsible for a catalogue of abuse, violence and indecency.

He had dished out "Gestapo-like" treatment to his young victims who had been left mentally scarred, probably for the rest of their lives.

Burnley Crown Court heard the father of five held the screaming youngsters beneath baths of freezing cold water until they started to splutter and choke, released them when they gasped for breath -- and then did it again.

Years on, some of them cannot bear the sound of running water and have a fear of drowning.

Morris also locked a four-year-old in a darkened cellar, battered him if he tried to open the door and shut others up in a room for "days at a time," without food, only a bucket overflowing with excrement for a toilet and forced them to fold clothes repeatedly.

One 10 year old was kept there for four days.

He also played sex games with some of the complainants and made others stand still for hours.

When one little girl was physically sick after being told not to move, the defendant gave her salt water, which made her sick again, and then forced her to eat her own vomit.

Others were also also made to suffer the same horror when they were sick after being force fed.

Sentencing Morris, who wiped away tears in the dock and apologised to his victims who watched from the public gallery, Judge Raymond Bennett said he had been "worse than a tyrant," and had picked on those not able to stand up to him.

He said the case was "dreadful," the defendant had done great harm to the children and the only good thing that could be said was that he had pleaded guilty.

Morris of West View, Haslingden, had earlier admitted 18 counts of cruelty, three of assault causing actual bodily harm, four of indecent assault, and three of indecency with a child, between 1980 and 1997.

Rowena Goode, prosecuting, said children were made to stand still for "hours into days," and were struck if they moved.

They were also made to run up and down stairs time and time again, with heavy weights, such as carrier bags full of cans.

One of the complainants was forced to do one arm press-ups repeatedly and Morris put the boot in if he didn't do them properly.

One 11-year-old boy suffered two black eyes and a bloody nose when his head was banged against a wall and another youngster was seen with facial injuries by a police officer at a garage.

He was taken to hospital, where he was found to have bruises around his eyes, on his thighs and inside his mouth and his nose was swollen.

Miss Goode told the court Morris ordered three of the complainants to assault one of the others and the child was kicked and punched while Morris watched.

He fondled girls, touched two boys indecently and devised games which would bring him into sexual contact with the complainants.

Anthony Cross, defending, said Morris had done the children a "terrible wrong" over a protracted period of time and he must go to jail.

Mr Cross said he deserved to go to prison and he knew it. He added Morris had had the courage to admit what he had done.