A MAN has been convicted of sexually assaulting a child.

Ian Thomas Gabbert was found guilty of two of the 13 charges he faced when he stood trial before a jury at Preston Crown Court.

The 28-year-old, of Ulpha near Broughton, was convicted of two counts of serious sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 years old. Both the offences took place more than 10 years ago.

He is due to hear his sentence at the same court on February 14.

The jury returned a verdict of not guilty for the rest of the charges, which included the attempted sexual assault of multiple victims. He had denied all the charges.

Gabbert was previously in court in 2017 for breaking a sexual offences prevention order for the sixth time. It was imposed at Carlisle Crown Court in 2014 when he was jailed for sexually assaulting and grooming a 14-year-old girl.

His criminal history includes another sexual assault on a girl aged under 13 and taking a child without lawful authority.