A PENSIONER who sexually abused two young girls has been branded the “scum of the earth” by the husband of one of his victims.

Alan Steer, pictured, of Campion Way, Abingdon, has been convicted of three counts of indecency with a child and two counts of sexual assault dating back to the 1970s.

The 77-year-old committed the offences against two girls aged between eight and 11 who cannot be named for legal reasons.

He denied the charges but was found guilty of five counts yesterday and on Monday after a five-day trial and around 14-and-a-half hours of deliberations by a jury at Oxford Crown Court.

Steer was acquitted on a further five counts of indecency with a child and five counts of indecent assault.

The jury could not reach a verdict on one count of indecent assault and Judge Patrick Eccles ordered it to lie on the file, after the Crown Prosecution Service said holding a retrial would not be in the public interest.

There were cheers from the victims and their families in the public gallery as the first verdicts were read out on Monday.

Speaking after the hearing, the husband of one of Steer’s victims, both of whom are now adults, said: “My wife is too distraught to talk about the case – he stole her childhood. We are happy with the guilty verdicts, justice has been done, but this will never leave her.”

The husband of the other victim said his family was happy with the outcome of the trial but it had been a difficult experience for his wife.

He said: “We are very happy about the verdicts that came back guilty but my wife found the trial very distressing. “He came up with so many lies about what happened to try and get away with it and it was hard for her to listen to them. She found giving evidence very difficult, especially being questioned by the defence.

“The barrister was only doing her job, but it felt like my wife was the one on trial, like she was being accused when she was the victim.”

Now the family are now awaiting sentence before putting the case behind them.

“It has been good seeing him found guilty but the real closure will come after he is sentenced in January,” he said.

“That’s when we will know we’re getting justice for what he did all those years ago, because it’s had a devastating effect on her. “She had counselling before and I think she will have it again now it’s over. It has been a difficult week.

“He is just the scum of the earth. My wife is going to get justice. We just need to get to the sentencing and try and move on after that.”

Steer will be sentenced on January 10 and Judge Eccles told him he should expect a prison sentence.