A DORCHESTER man has been found guilty of sexual offences against children which date back more than 20 years.

Adrian Strong, 59, from Poundbury, was cleared of three charges relating to child indecency and abuse after going on trial and a jury was dismissed after failing to agree on a further two counts.

The two offences where the jury gave a majority guilty verdict of 10 to two were both for indecency with a child.

For those two charges he was accused of exposing himself to babysitters aged 13, 14 or 15 when he lived on Portland between 1988 and 1991.

Strong had denied all of the charges against him.

Judge Peter Johnson halted reporting of the case at the end of the trial at Bournemouth Crown Court to give the Crown Prosecution Service time to decide on whether they wanted to hold a retrial for the two outstanding charges of indecency with a child and indecent assault.

But it was decided it was “not in the public interest” to seek further convictions and Strong, of Stowcastle Street, Poundbury, will now be sentenced for the two indecency offences next week.

David Bartlett, prosecuting at Strong’s trial, told the court how one victim of the alleged historic offences saw Strong driving a nursery minibus full of children in 2007 and decided to anonymously report him to the NSPCC.

This was passed on to Social Services but Mr Strong and his wife’s childminding registration was not withdrawn.

Then when the victim saw news reports in 2011 about police investigations at the Starlight Nursery at Winfrith being run by Strong and his wife she and another former babysitter decided to speak to police.

During the trial the judge ordered the jury to find Strong not guilty of one count of indecency with a child as the dates of the accusations could not be proved by the prosecution.

At the end of the trial Strong was also cleared of indecent assault of a child aged two or three years and another indecent assault of a girl between three and six years old.

Strong no longer works in childcare and receives incapacity benefit. He will be sentenced on Friday, May 18.

Ofsted investigation

DORSET County Council said it was Ofsted which investigated the complaint against Adrian Strong passed on by the NSPCC in 2007.

Ofsted inspects and regulates services which care for children and young people.

An Ofsted spokesman said: “Ofsted was informed of police investigations in 2007 relating to Mr Strong when Mrs Strong was registered as a childminder.

“These allegations were unsubstantiated by the police.

“In 2011 we suspended Mrs Strong’s resignation as a childcare provider.

“Neither Mr or Mrs Strong have provided registered childcare provision since February 2011.”