Herbert Bowness (65) was found guilty on Thursday by a jury at York Crown Court of three charges of rape, five of indecent assault and four of indecency with a child.

The pensioner, who admitted four separate charges before the jury of sexual assault on the same victim, was unanimously cleared by them of one rape and one indecent assault charge.

Following his conviction on the remaining charges by a majority verdict, Bowness, formerly of St Mary’s Crescent in Whitby and since living with his sister in Dewsbury as part of his bail conditions, was remanded in custody for the preparation of pre-sentence and medical reports.

He was warned by The Recorder of York, Judge Stephen Ashurst, that he faces a lengthy custodial sentence.

The jury heard Bowness, who lost his wife to throat cancer in 2005 and his eldest son in a drowning accident in 1985, had sexually abused the girl from the age of seven until 15.

His victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, told the court the sexual activity took place on a regular basis and at no time had she ever consented to what happened to her.

“Never in this world would I ever have agreed to what happened,” she said.

Bowness claimed he had only had sexual relations with the girl when she was 15 and it had been with her full consent.

These admissions formed the basis of his guilty pleas, but he adamantly denied the remaining charges, many of them specimen allegations to reflect the full extent of his abuse of the girl over the years.

The defendant, who told the court he had suffered a stroke after being arrested and quizzed by the police over the allegations, claimed his victim was inflating her claims in order to get compensation.

She denied this, telling the jury, via a live television link to the courtroom, she had not made one single claim for money.

She said: “I just don’t want anything like this to happen to someone else.”

Bowness will re-appear before Judge Ashurst next month to be sentenced.