A PREDATOR threatened to cut off a little girl’s head so he could sexually abuse her.

John Dowds was found guilty of three counts of historic sexual abuse in Brighton.

The 56-year-old committed three indecent assaults on a boy and a girl in the 1980s.

He gained favour with the children’s families, groomed the boy with offers of sweets, and threatened the girl.

The victims, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, were both aged between five and six at the time.

Dowds was previously convicted of a similar offence against the boy, but the case has now been revisited when he contacted the police.

At Hove Crown Court it was revealed that Dowds has learning difficulties and has been an outcast in his community for 30 years since conviction.

Judge David Rennie jailed Dowds for a total of three years but said the punishment would have been worse if he did not have learning difficulties.

Alexander Williams, prosecuting, said Dowds touched the girl and boy’s genitals.

Mr Williams said: “There was a threat of violence, she recalled the threat of getting her head cut off as a young girl. There was also grooming and abuse of trust.”

A jury found Dowds, of Thorndean Road, Brighton, not guilty of a more serious offence against the boy.

Joshua Normanton, defending, said his client has a low IQ, with “cognitive deficiencies”.

But he said it does not detract from the “trauma” his victims have experienced.

Mr Normanton said: “Dowds has been rendered an outcast in his community. He was of limited maturity at the time, described by people in the area as the village idiot.

“He was plagued by regular abuse and violence. He has been punished for years by the people he lives with.”

Judge Rennie said: “Your offending has caused great distress and harm that endures to this day.

“You have done terrible things to the children, which is balanced with the fact you have profound cognitive difficulties. Your sentence would have been longer had it not been for your impairments.”

After the case Detective Constable Stewart Cameron said: “Three years ago the boy, by then a man in his early 30s, decided to revisit his past and contacted us.

“We built a compelling picture of the way Dowds had ingratiated himself with the victim’s families over time, and systematically took advantage of these innocent young children for his own sexual gratification. The two victims resolutely gave evidence at the trial and we are glad that justice has now been done for them.”