A paedophile who repeatedly sexually assaulted a seven-year-old girl has been sentenced to just five years and banned for life from photographing anyone under 18.

Francesco Raimi, 34, of Meadgate Avenue, Chelmsford, was convicted by a jury of four sexual assaults involving touching in Southend.

The offences took place more than a decade before his conviction. A jury found him guilty in August.

At Basildon Crown Court on October 16, Judge Siew Loke sentenced Raimi to five years behind bars.

He must remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and is permanently barred from working with children or vulnerable adults.

An indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order also imposes sweeping restrictions on his contact with children.

The order prohibits unsupervised contact with girls and restricts him from being in the same home as a female child unless her guardian knows about his convictions and agrees, with approval from social services.

He is also prohibited from being in the company of anyone under 18, apart from normal, incidental and unavoidable contact — such as speaking to a teenager working in a shop.

The ban extends to his camera: Raimi is forbidden from taking photographs of anyone under 18.