A DISGRACED NHS manager from Crewkerne faces prison after being found guilty of abusing an eight-year-old girl more than 55 years ago.

Michael Redgrave took the schoolgirl to his lodgings in Dawlish and repeatedly made her take part in sexual ordeals.

He tried to rape her twice but she screamed in pain and he stopped as he was worried about his hosts hearing the noise.

Redgrave, now 72, remained undetected until the victim contacted police in 2018.

She had previously only told close friends and her husband before making a disclosure to a counsellor.

Her husband had challenged Redgrave in a Facebook message and he had not denied the abuse.

Redgrave went on to enjoy a career as an NHS manager which ended in disgrace when 80 child abuse images were found on his work computer at Sarum Road Hospital, Winchester.

It led to him being dismissed and jailed for a year and four months in 2007.

Some of the images depicted abuse which was almost identical to that which he had inflicted on his victim many years earlier.

Redgrave, of Barn Close, Crewkerne, denied two attempted rapes, two counts of buggery, one of attempted buggery and two of indecency with a child.

He was found guilty of all the offences following a four-day trial at Exeter Crown Court.

Judge David Evans adjourned sentence until later this month but said jail is inevitable. He bailed him to give him a chance to ‘put his affairs in order’.

Peter Coombe, prosecuting, said Redgrave befriended the girl who was living in the same property in Dawlish in about 1967.

He started by taking the child to his room and a pattern developed in which she began visiting it. He scared her into agreeing and to remaining silent by telling her she would be in trouble if anyone found out.

The abuse continued on a regular basis and even continued on one occasion after he moved out when he tried to rape her in a rowing dinghy.

Mr Coombe said Redgrave would have been aged 17 to 20 at the time.

He said: “He told her this was their little secret and she should not tell anyone.”

She told police he abused her about 100 times.

Thrice married grandfather Redgrave denied any sexual activity with the girl.

He said: “I would never to anything like that. It is pure invention.”