A PERVERT who molested a Burnley schoolgirl could be facing jail after being convicted at the town's crown court.

David Byrom, 30, was found guilty of five charges of sexual activity with the 14-year-old, between July and September 2004, after a four-day trial. The defendant, who denied the charges, was bailed until May 25 for pre-sentence reports. The court was told psychiatric reports had already been prepared.

The defendant, who sobbed in the dock when the jury announced its verdicts, was warned by Judge Jonathan Woolman all sentencing options were open, including custody. He told Byrom he must live at his home address, not contact prosecution witnesses and not live in any house where there were females under 16.

The court had heard how the defendant was said to have left the victim in tears, after trying to "have sex" with her. Byrom put his hand down her trousers and groped her bottom.

Prosecutor Jeremy Grout-Smith had told the jury the house where Byrom struck was a "paradise for a pervert," as young girls lived there and girls often visited.

The defendant claimed the prosecution witnesses had conspired to get him into trouble and their evidence had been a "made up story."