The judge said it was to their credit that they had found the courage to go to the police.

Glendinning was arrested early this year and his barrister Neil Clark said despite not having all the evidence against him the defendant had been insistent on pleading guilty.

Mr Clark asked the judge to take account of the fact that Glendinning had not committed any further offences for 18 years and he described his client as “essentially a loner’’ who lived in rented accommodation.

Judge Durham Hall made Glendinning the subject of an indefinite sexual offences prevention order which includes a ban on having any contact with the complainants.

Glendinning will also have to register as a sex offender with the police for the rest of his life following his release from prison.

Det Con Emma Summerscales, from West Yorkshire Police’s Child and Public Protection Unit, said: “We welcome the sentence given to Glenddining by the court, and his conviction again demonstrates that even if an offence has taken place many years previously we will always work to bring offences to justice.

“We also hope that Glendinning’s conviction will bring some comfort to his victims.’’