A child abuser was jailed for four and a half years after one of his victims came forward on Facebook during his trial.

Stewart King subjected three young children to physical abuse before going on to sexually assault two young girls.

He originally went on trial last year but the trial had to be scrapped after another of King's victims came forward on the social networking site.

At Dundee Sheriff Court he was convicted of an 18-month campaign of sex abuse of the girl, as well as four other child abuse charges.

A jury found King unanimously guilty of sexually assaulting his first victim on various occasions between June 1 2005 and December 31 2006, when she was aged 18 and 19.

The court heard over the course of almost four years between July 2010 and March 2014 King repeatedly launched violent attacks on three young children.

One, who was aged from 12 to 16 throughout was punched, kicked and had objects thrown at her.

The second victim, aged 11 to 15, was punched and kicked on the head and body.

In evidence she told how when aged 14 she was sexually assaulted on various occasions by King.

The third victim who was aged seven when the abuse started was subjected of three and a half years of physical abuse.

King, 56, of Forres Avenue, Dundee, had denied three charges of assault to injury and one of indecent assault.

Sheriff Lorna Drummond QC also placed King on the sex offenders register for life.

She said: "You have been convicted by the jury of five charges, serious charges of sexual and violent offences against children.

"You violently assaulted three children, the youngest aged seven. You committed sexual offences against a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl. They were committed over a three and four-year period.

"These are very serious charges and they warrant custody, and that's the only appropriate sentence."