An alcoholic who molested a three-year-old girl while on bail for breaking into a neighbour's house with intent to commit a sex act has had his jail term slashed.

Ian Anderson, 61, was sentence to a nine-year custodial sentence with a five-year extended licence when he appeared at Swindon Crown Court last month.

But the case was brought back before Judge Douglas Field because the total of 14 years was beyond the ten-year maximum for the offence.

And, sitting at Dorchester Crown Court last week, he amended the sentence to make it six years inside with a four-year extended licence.

Anderson, who has a previous conviction from the 1980s for burglary with intent to commit rape, will now only have to serve three years behind bars.

After being released at the half way point of the sentence he will be under strict licence conditions for seven years.

He was wearing a stocking mask and with gloves on when he first broke into the home of an elderly lady in Calne in August 2012, and stood over her bed as she slept.

The woman, who died before the matter came to trial, woke to find him standing there and after talking to him took him downstairs and made him a cup of coffee.

When she spoke to the police she recalled a dream from a few weeks earlier when someone was in her room and realised it must have been him.

Anderson had been arrested, released on bail, and was due to stand trial on those matters in October last year.

But that was called off because he had been arrested for molesting a young child at a neighbouring house a few days earlier.

He went to the family home of the young victim and knocked at the front door asking about the woman across the road.

The little girl's mum told him had passed away but soon after he sneaked back in to the house where he indecently touched the three-year-old girl.

Anderson, of Linden Close, Calne, pleaded not guilty to three counts of trespass with intent to commit a sexual offence and one of sexual touching of a girl under 13.

He was found guilty of the second incident at the old lady's house and not guilty of the first incident, which she thought was a dream.

The jury also found him guilty of the sexual touching and were not required to reach a verdict on the trespass matter as it was an alternative charge.

At the trial the dead victim's police interview was played to the jury as evidence.

Speaking after the initial verdict the mother of the child, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: "I am so grateful for the help from Wiltshire police, especially from PCSO Cook, for finding him so quickly and the witness care service have been very informative and incredibly supportive.

"I wouldn't have been able to handle all of this if it wasn't for everyone being so supportive and friendly. I am glad it's finally over and we got justice."