A tattooed child rapist who began preying on his first victim when he was still a teenager was jailed for seven years.

Malcolm Lamont, 34, exposed two girls to pornography at a young age and went on to sexually abuse them including subjecting one youngster to rape.

Lamont, formerly of Denny, in Stirlingshire, targeted the children for repeated abuse over a seven year period at an address in Motherwell, in North Lanarkshire.

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A judge told him at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday: "These sexual offences are of considerable gravity."

Judge Fiona Tait said the sex crimes committed by Lamont would have had a significant impact on the child victims.

She said a victim impact statement provided by one of the complainers spoke of ongoing trauma due to the offending which included disruption to her schooling.

The judge said she acknowledged that Lamont does not have previous convictions for sexual offending.

Lamont had denied a series of charges during an earlier trial at the High Court in Livingston, but was convicted of six offences.

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He perpetrated indecent conduct towards his first victim between March 2008 and May 2010 by showing pornographic images to a girl, who was then aged between six and eight on his mobile phone and on a TV.

He carried out similar behaviour when the girl was aged 12 between March 2014 and March the following year by showing her pornographic images and websites.

During the same period his offending escalated into touching the girl, sexually penetrating her and raping her.

He was also found guilty of indecency towards a second girl after showing her pornography on his phone and a TV when she was aged between two and four between March 2008 and May 2010.

He perpetrated similar abusive behaviour towards the second girl when she was aged between seven and nine, and went on to sexually assault the child by touching, rubbing and digitally penetrating her.

Defence counsel Iain Smith said that Lamont continued to deny committing the offences.

He told the court that benefit claimant Lamont has one previous conviction for assault and had never been to prison until he was remanded in custody at the end of his earlier trial in March this year.

He said Lamont reported that he had a difficult family background and was assessed as being "vulnerable".

The defence counsel said that Lamont was well aware that following his conviction for the rape and sexual assault charges a custodial sentence was inevitable.

Lamont was placed on the sex offenders' register indefinitely following his sentencing.