Malcolm Naylor jailed for Bradford panto attempted sex assault
A 70-year-old man described as a "predatory paedophile" has been jailed for attempting to sexually assault an 11-year-old girl at a pantomime.
Malcolm Naylor, from Bradford, sat next to the girl and asked to touch her inappropriately during Peter Pan at the city's Alhambra Theatre last January.
Recorder Simon Batiste said Naylor had gone to the theatre to "satisfy your perverted lust".
He was jailed for 21 months with a further four years on licence.
Leeds Crown Court heard the girl was at the pantomime with her aunt when they noticed Naylor, who has previous convictions for sex assaults, sat a few rows behind.
He moved to sit next to her and the pair, thinking his behaviour was strange, moved seats.
Once the performance had started, Naylor came to sit next to her again before leaning over and making a lewd comment.
He tried to escape when the girl shouted out, but he was apprehended by staff.
The court heard that since the incident the girl had suffered anxiety and did not want to be left alone.
Naylor, of Rushton Road, Bradford, was found guilty after an earlier trial.
The court was told he has a string of previous convictions for sex assaults on young girls including indecently assaulting a 15-year-old girl and another girl after drugging them.
Passing sentence, Mr Batiste said: "A children's pantomime is a place of magic leading to happy memories for children for a lifetime but you turned that experience into a nightmare."
"This was not a momentary lapse of control. You had no genuine reason to attend this pantomime; you saw it as an environment to sexually abuse a child."
He added: "You are clearly a predatory paedophile and your actions pose a serious significant risk to young girls"