A former children's home worker has been jailed for eight years for sexually abusing six children 40 years ago.

John "Jock" Cowan, 72, of Littlebourne in Hither Green was found guilty of 10 counts of historic indecent assault and one count of gross indecency, committed between 1971 and 1973.

Cowan committed the acts on five girls aged between five and 10 at the time, and one six-year-old boy whilst working in a senior role at a children's care home in Ealing.

He was reported last January by a woman who was sexually assaulted by him in the attic of the children's home when she was aged seven or eight in around 1971 or 1972.

She also told police she believed Cowan had abused more children in his care and enquiries led detectives to identify other victims from the home.

The male victim described how Cowan sexually assaulted him several times in the bathroom after taking him from his bed, telling him he needed the toilet.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Cathy Hewitson, from the Child Abuse Investigation Team at Northwood, said: "Cowan took advantage of his senior position at the home to abuse a number of vulnerable children, the majority of whom had already suffered heartache and trauma in their short lives and should have been in a trusted environment.

"I praise the courage of the victims in coming forward and reliving this very difficult period in their lives."

Cowan was found guilty at Harrow Crown Court yesterday (November 27) and was sentenced today.

He had previously been jailed in 1994 for 12 years on 16 counts of sexual offences against children and is on the Sex Offenders' Register for life.

DC Hewitson added: "Cowan worked in a number of children's homes in Essex, London and Scotland from the 1970s onwards.

"It is highly likely there are other victims out there who perhaps have felt too scared to come forward before or thought there was little point given the passage of time.

"Today's conviction proves it is not too late to bring Cowan to justice and I would ask anyone with information to contact us in confidence."

Anyone with information should contact the Met's Child Abuse Investigation Team on 0208 246 1901/3 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.