Northampton handyman "abducted three young girls", persuaded them to get into his van before grabbing one on the bottom

A Northampton handyman "abducted three young girls" by coaxing them to get into his van before groping one of them on the backside, a court heard.

Barry McCabe, of Chase Park Road, Yardley Hastings, pulled up alongside the three children in his work van and used his image as the friendly local oddjob man to coax them into 'getting a lift' with him.

But during the 20 minutes they spent in the vehicle "joyriding" around, the 53-year-old grabbed at her bottom when one of the girls leaned out the window to shout hello to a friend.

Recorder Mr Christopher Donnellan told McCabe at his sentencing on Monday (September 28). "You clearly could not resist your own impulses and urges.

"There were worrying elements of grooming... You were testing the water, it seems to me, to see what reaction you got.

"You pleaded guilty to four counts of the indictment. These all related to the limited period of the incident when you abducted three young girls."

In the incident on April 30 this year, McCabe saw the three girls as they were walking and coaxed them into getting in his van by offering a lift.

Eyewitnesses saw the girls and the 53-year-old driving around the area and "acting like teenagers on a joyride". One witness said McCabe even let one of the young girls use the steering wheel as they drove.

But at one point, one of the girls leaned out the window to shout to a friend. This was when McCabe assaulted the child by grabbing her.

"The fun she thought you were all having together disappeared," said Mr Donnellan. "She realised you were not friendly but someone who was taking advantage of her.

"When you pulled over to let them out, you offered to give them money and invited them to meet up with you again the next day."

However, the girl immediately went home and told her mum, who listened to her daughter's story and rang the police.

The court heard that McCabe had, a week earlier, persuaded two girls to take a selfie of themselves which he had on his phone.

Police also found a number of pictures he had taken of women without their knowing and without their consent.

He later admitted to officers he took the pictures of the women for his own sexual gratification.

McCabe also reportedly tried to downplay the incident with the three girls by claiming it was the girls who asked for a lift and that he only "tickled their sides".

He later pleaded guilty on the day he was set to go to trial for three counts of detaining a child and assault on a child by touching.

But in sentencing, Mr Donnellan ruled that if he gave McCabe a custody sentence he would be released too soon to properly punish him, and instead gave the 53-year-old a maximum length community order of three years and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

Mr Donnellan said: "I make it clear - you are not to go anywhere near any children. If you see them on the street, you cross to the other side. The police will be able to examine your phone. And if you breach this order, you will be locked up."