A PREDATORY paedophile who abused a seven-year-old girl three times in his Weston flat has been jailed indefinitely for the protection of the public.

Barry Hood, aged 49, lured the girl to his Stanley Grove home to move furniture inside his bedroom.

But, instead, Hood unleashed two days of sexual abuse on the juvenile until he was caught by her stepmother facing the victim with his pants down.

When confronted by the angry parent, he cried ‘I know, I know, I thought I could cope with it, but I can’t’.

Hood pleaded guilty to inciting a child aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He also admitted two sexual assaults on her, as well as downloading 247 child abuse images.

Sentencing, Judge Carol Hagen imposed an indeterminate jail term to protect the public.

She said Hood, who already has a conviction for committing a sex act in front of children, must serve at least five years before he can be considered for parole.

She said: “There is a willingness on your behalf to confront this terrible condition – you have done it in the past and I think you can do it again.”

The court heard how the victim was first exposed to Hood when he danced around her naked as she sat at his computer on July 26.

Two days later he invited her to his flat, where he put her hand under his pants.

The next day he went a step further and touched her. He also bounced the victim on his groin while sitting down.

The abuse ended when the girl’s stepmother barged into his flat and saw Hood with his pants around his ankles, facing the victim.

Prosecuting, James Ward said: “Mr Hood poses a serious risk of sexual harm to children, he has a condition which has been around for 30 years and it has come up again.”

The girl’s mother said in a statement to the court that her daughter had not been affected by the incidents.

But she added: “I am concerned what would happen in the future if she remembers any of what has happened.

“I would like the court to impose the longest sentence possible [on Hood].”

Defending Hood, Kirsty Real said: “He is devastated that this propensity has manifested itself and he has not been able to control it.”

After the case, acting detective inspector Steve Robinson said he hoped the victim and her family could move on from the ‘distressing ordeal’.

He added: “This sentence sends out a strong message about how seriously the police and the courts take cases like this.

“Should anyone else be unfortunate enough to find themselves in similar circumstances, I hope that sentences like this will give them the confidence to come forward and report it, in the knowledge that every effort is made to bring offenders to justice.”