A PENSIONER has avoided a spell behind bars after he indecently assaulted a girl more than 50 years ago.

Peter Hardy, who is now 66 and lives in North Wales, assaulted the girl in Wilmslow a total of nine times between 1969 and 1972.

The girl was aged between nine and 11 at the time, while Hardy was himself still a teenager, aged between 14 and 17.

Having initially denied five of those charges when appearing at Stockport Magistrates Court in May of the last year, he later admitted to them all.

He was appearing at Chester Crown Court on Monday, July 25, where he was sentenced to a 12-month long community order.

As part of that order, Hardy, of Morlais, Pensarn, Abergele, was told he must observe a 28-week curfew between 7pm-7am every day.

He will also work with the probation service and complete 30 days of a rehabilitation requirement.

Hardy denied another allegation of indecent assault against a boy at an army base in Southampton between 1977 and 1979 and was found not guilty on that particular charge.