A paedophile who targeted two single mothers before sexually abusing their children was locked up for 32 months.

Keith Smith, 50, of Sandpiper Close, Shoe-bury, was also banned from ever working with children.

He was given a sexual offences prevention order stopping him from being alone with a child under the age of 16 for the next 10 years, when he was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court yesterday.

Samantha Leigh, counsel for the prosecution, said the victims' mothers befriended Smith because they felt sorry for him and wanted to help him as he was also a single parent.

The bricklayer abused their trust and exposed himself to a 10-year-old girl on two occasions when she was alone with him in his car.

Smith was only caught out when the schoolgirl became afraid and confided in a family member when she learned that Smith was due to babysit her sister.

The father-of-one struck again and sexually abused his second victim, a 12-year-old girl, while her mother was making him a cup of coffee.

When the child complained and threatened to tell her mother, he told her: "Sorry, sorry, I thought you wanted me to show you".

The defendant denied the offences when he was interviewed by police and claimed the girls had made up the allegations as he had fallen out with one of the mothers.

On the day of his trial, he eventually admitted two counts of exposure and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child between January 1, 2005 and July 31, 2005.

Jailing Smith, Judge Daniel Worsley told him: "You have pleaded guilty to three abhorrent sexual offences against children. The effect on the victims has been very emotional as everybody would expect. Only a substantial immediate prison term is possible."

Smith was also ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.