Richard William Hutton, formerly of Abbots Road, appeared before York Crown Court on Thursday for sentencing, having admitted all the charges against him at a previous court appearance.

Hutton, who will now have to be on the Sex Offenders Register for life, admitted nine offences of indecent assault, six of sexual assault and three of voyeurism committed against one of the females.

He also had pleaded guilty to seven indecent assaults, five sexual assaults and three of voyeurism against the second complainant.

The court heard that since the offences had come to light in May last year, the defendant had made several suicide attempts.

David Garnett, prosecuting, told the court that the offences happened on a regular basis, up to three times a week in the case of the first complainant, usually when Hutton was on his way to work.

The second female had felt unable to tell anyone of the abuse she was enduring at the hands of Hutton, but the full story came out when the first victim finally did reveal what had been going on.

Mr Garnett said the assaults took the form of touching but, towards the end of the offending, Hutton satisfied himself with just viewing the girls in states of undress.

In written Victim Impact Statements to the court the victims said they did not want to see Hutton in Whitby ever again and that they had been worried about what he may have done to others.

The second complainant said "I'm relieved that I no longer have to hold in all the anger and upset."

For Hutton, Matthew Stephenson said that his client "hates himself", was full of remorse and knew he had only himself to blame .

He added Hutton knew what he was doing was wrong, did not know why he did it, but found it impossible to stop.

"It must be prison, he knows that, but I would ask it is not for so long given his previous good character and the fact that this will be his first experience of prison," said Mr Stephenson.

Describing Hutton as a "hard working and good father", Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told him he did not consider him to be a danger to the public in the future and that he was passing the minimum sentence possible because of the mitigating factors in the case.