A sexual predator who abused a girl and a young woman as his wife was dying in hospital has been jailed.

Francis Cassidy was previously found guilty of two charges of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices towards a child and the woman.

Livingston Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday that Cassidy's groomed his first victim when she was nine and continued to abuse her for a decade.

The 68-year-old targeted his second victim in her home before she then raised the alarm with his family at his wife's funeral.

Sheriff Susan Craig described Cassidy, of Livingston in West Lothian, as a "predatory sex offender" who abused his younger victim while relatives were in the house.

Cassidy was jailed for four years and will be on license for a further year when he is released.

Sheriff Craig said: "It is clear these offences required a significant level of planning and premeditation on your part. You deliberately engineered and orchestrated opportunities to be alone with the victims.

"It shows you to be a predatory sex offender who has carried out sustained and significant sexual abuse against a young girl for over half of her childhood.

"You abused your position of trust, in that you were allowed to be alone with your young victim at a time when your own wife and her mother were in the house."

The sheriff said Cassidy's abuse of his first victim took place several times a week, leading to a "conservative estimate" of 1300 separate incidents.

He began abusing her when he was 53 years old, the court heard.

The paedophile, who was placed on the sex offender's register, denied the allegations and claimed his victims had conspired against him.

Sheriff Craig praised the "bravery and determination" Cassidy's victims displayed in giving their evidence so "clearly and compellingly".