A LORRY driver was yesterday jailed for nine years for a string of sex attacks on young girls over a 13-year period.

Melvin McFadden, 54, was told his crimes were "grave offences" and the sentence should be a deterrent to him and others tempted to carry out similar attacks.

Father-of-three McFadden, of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, was also disqualified from working with children and ordered to register on the sex offenders' register on his release.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he assaulted the six girls in various parts of the country between 1989 and 2002. At the end of a two-week trial yesterday, he was found guilty on unanimous verdicts of four indecent assaults and one gross indecency.

Majority verdicts of guilty by ten to two were reached on two indecent assaults, having sex with a girl under 13, and gross indecency, while an 11 to one majority was reached on an indecent assault.

McFadden was found not guilty of a further gross indecency, while the jury failed to reach a verdict after more than ten hours on charges of gross indecency and indecent assault.

Deborah Sherwin, prosecuting, offered no further evidence on the outstanding two charges, and Judge John Walford ordered that formal not guilty verdicts should be recorded.

After the case, Detective Ser-geant Brian Wilkes, who led the investigation, said McFadden targeted the young and vulnerable.

He said the victims and their families were delighted with the verdicts and the sentence.

"It is the end of a traumatic period of their lives," he said. "They are now able to move on."

Defence barrister Tim Roberts, QC, had asked the judge to take into account, when sentencing, McFadden's age and his high blood pressure.

As some of the guilty verdicts were announced, there were sobs and cries of "no" from members of McFadden's family.

The court had heard how McFadden, of South Church Road, offered the girls cash for sexual favours. A number of the attacks took place when he took the youngsters for rides in his heavy goods lorry or in his car.

McFadden was initially arrested in July 2001, following a complaint from one of the girls after she stayed at his home.

He denied any inappropriate behaviour and no action was taken.

Later, after more allegations came to light, McFadden told police that two of the girls had a vendetta against him and said their claims had been made up.