A charity fund raiser has been jailed for abusing a girl who he touched as she sat on his lap.
John Tremain, aged 64, is the former treasurer of the Northam Community Association, where he was a trustee and was also a fund raiser for a local hospice.
The Community Association is a charity which runs the Community Hall in Fore Street, Northam, and he was a trustee until his arrest last month. His name has now been removed from its website.
He abused a young girl while visiting her home, Exeter Crown Court was told.
Tremain, of Daneshay, Northam, admitted three sexual assaults and was jailed for four years by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.
Tremain was ordered to remain on the sex offenders' register for life and made subject of a sexual offences prevention order which bars him from unsupervised contact with children.
The Judge told him:"I give you full credit for pleading guilty and accept what happened was also a tragedy for you."
Mr Richard Crabb, prosecuting, said Tremain touched the girl under her clothes when she was sat on his knee.
He had been arrested and interviewed by the police after she told her mother what he had done and admitted the offences. He has no previous convictions of any sort.
Mr Nigel Wraith, defending, said Tremain had not been involved in any kind of paedophile ring and had admitted his guilt straight away, thus sparing the victim and her family any further anguish.
He said:"His life has been completely shattered by his own actions, which he accepts has brought shame on himself. He has been married for 42 years and has adult children.
"He has worked all his adult life and was contemplating retirement. He was active with local charities and has been treasurer of his local community association for 25 years as well as a trustee. He has been a fund raiser for a local hospice in the past 12 months.
"He knows it is his own fault that he has ruined the rest of his life. He is desperately sorry for what he did. At least he has had the decency to plead guilty at the earliest opportunity."
