A former Letchworth primary school caretaker has been jailed for sexually abusing young girls during the late 1970s.

Steven Garrott was jailed for four years when he appeared before Judge Justin Cole at Harrow Crown Court on Friday.

The 58-year-old had denied three counts of indecently assaulting girls under the age of 13, involving two victims – but was found guilty by a jury after a seven-day trial.

The court heard Garrott, now of Cambridge Road in Puckeridge, abused the girls in the Edmonton area of north London during the late 1970s.

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.

After he was found guilty, Icknield 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 who had never been a pupil at the school. A jury at Cambridge Crown Court last year found him not guilty of all these charges.