A CONVICTED paedophile who is currently serving a prison sentence has been given a further two-and-half-years after it was revealed he sexually assaulted a girl more than 50 years ago.

Keith Ryman, who is now 76, was jailed for 16 years after being found guilty of a number of child sex offences in October 2018.

Appearing before York Crown Court, while sitting at Doncaster Crown Court due accessibility constraints on Friday (September 13) Ryman was found guilty of an offence which happened in the York area in 1968.

The court heard how under his former name, Keith Leggett, Ryman had befriended a girl's parents and offered care for her on an evening she was feeling unwell.

Ryman, who changed his name by deed poll in 1980, then isolated her and sexually assaulted her while in her bedroom.

Police said Ryman's crime had only came to light when the victim underwent therapy some 50 years later and told her counsellor.

Up until the crime, police investigating the whereabouts of the suspect believed Leggett was dead.

Police said they were informed by the victim in March 2018 before an investigation into Ryman's act was investigated.

In couty, Ryman pleaded not guilty to the new charge and gave evidence in his own defence but after two hours of jury deliberation he was found guilty.

Sentencing Ryman, His Honour Judge Sean Morris, praised the bravery of the victim in giving evidence at the trial. 

After the setence was added to Ryman's ongoing sentence, detective constable John Atkinson of North Yorkshire Police said: "In 1968, Keith Leggett carried out a cowardly attack on a young child for his own sexual gratification leaving her to carry the burden of this secret for 50 years. 

“This has had a marked effect on her life and it was very courageous of her to enter a court and give evidence against him. 

“North Yorkshire Police will investigate all reports of sexual offences against children. This case highlights our commitment to bringing paedophiles to justice wherever possible, regardless of the passage of time. 

“The reasons why Keith Leggett changed his name to Keith Ryman in 1980 are still unclear but are obviously a cause for concern, given that he went on to commit further sexual assaults on other children before being brought to justice in 2018.”