Victims of a paedophile teaching assistant have told a court they were bullied by other children for getting the popular member of staff jailed.

Treva McCartney abused three young girls, aged between seven and eight, while working at a school in Tynedale after "carefully" grooming them.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he preyed upon two of the victims in one-to-one sessions, taking advantage of having them alone to slap and squeeze their bottoms.

The court heard the 55-year-old's behaviour only came to light when one of the girls told her older sister she "liked him but wished he would stop touching her".

Victim personal statements from the families revealed the girls had been "blamed for getting McCartney into trouble by the other children", and had struggled with their own feelings of "fondness" towards him.

When police searched McCartney's home after receiving reports of abuse, officers seized his computer and found indecent images of children, including nine of 'category A' - the most serious.

Judge Amanda Rippon told McCartney that "no-one should feel guilty but you" as she sentenced him to three years and six months in prison.

Referring to victim personal impact statements, Judge Rippon said the three girls had been left "confused and distressed".