A paedophile has been jailed for 10 years for sexually abusing two girls over a 20-year period.

John Essam groomed the teenagers, who were both aged 14, and threatened to kill himself if they did not stay “best friends” with him, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

The incidents started in September 1991 and continued until April 2011.

Essam, formerly of Boydin Close, Witham, had previous convictions for grooming after using a false name and claiming he was 20 years younger than he was on a social networking site.

Victim impact statements from the two women revealed they had both self harmed and had alcohol problems as a result of the abuse.

Full story in today's Witham and Braintree Times.