A former Letchworth primary school caretaker has been found guilty of three counts of sexually abusing young girls during the late 1970s.

Steven Garrott, 58, denied indecently assaulting two girls aged under 13 – but was found guilty by a jury at Harrow Crown Court after a seven-day trial.

Garrott was found guilty of three counts of indecently assaulting girls under the age of 13, involving two victims. The crimes happened in the Edmonton area of north London during the late 1970s.

The court remanded him in custody to appear for sentence on May 25.

Garrott was until last year employed as a caretaker at Icknield Infant and Nursery School in Letchworth, and lived in a house on school grounds.

School head Jackie Egan said: “Steven Garrott was employed as a caretaker at the school until 2017. The offences for which he has now been convicted are historical, relating to a period before he was employed by the school.

“When we appointed him to the job we ensured that all background checks were completed, including a full criminal record check. There was nothing to give us any cause for concern at that time and we have been assured that these offences do not relate to the school in any way.”

In September 2016, angry parents gathered outside Garrott’s then-home in Archers Way when he was accused of a separate series of child sex offences, all relating to a girl under 13. A jury at Cambridge Crown Court last year found him not guilty of all these charges.