A great grandfather was jailed for five years after sexually abusing two young girls.

Previously, a judge rejected a move to keep first offender Matthew Fagan out of prison because of his age, ahead of sentencing him for the crimes.

Lord Pentland ordered that the 83-year-old be held on remand while a background report was prepared on him.

The judge told Fagan at the High Court in Edinburgh on Wednesday that one of the charges he was found guilty of amounted to "a serious catalogue of sexual abuse". Lord Pentland said matters were made worse by the abuse of a second victim.

The former miner had denied committing a series of sex offences at houses in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, where he lived.

He was previously found guilty of indecency offences against two girls, but was acquitted of the attempted rape of one of them and of abusing a third girl on not proven verdicts.

Fagan abused one primary school pupil more than 15 years ago and also used indecent behaviour towards another child between 1999 and 2003, beginning when she was aged three, on two occasions.

He claimed he had never touched the second girl in his life. Fagan said he had played tickling games and "incy wincey spider" with the child while babysitting her, but maintained there was no sexual inclination in his behaviour.

Defence counsel Lorenzo Alonzi said the pensioner did not keep the best of health and argued that there was minimal risk. He maintained that the offences Fagan was convicted of could have been dealt with in a sheriff court.

Fagan was previously put on the sex offenders register.