A PENSIONER who lured three boys to his home and indecently assaulted one of them began a nine-month prison sentence last night .The case against Leslie Keeble had been dogged by delays because of his health problems, and in November last year the 68-year-old was in intensive care at Ipswich Hospital following a stroke.

A PENSIONER who lured three boys to his home and indecently assaulted one of them began a nine-month prison sentence last night .

The case against Leslie Keeble had been dogged by delays because of his health problems, and in November last year the 68-year-old was in intensive care at Ipswich Hospital following a stroke.

At Ipswich Crown Court yesterday he was given a hearing aid to use because at a previous court hearing he claimed an industrial accident had left him profoundly deaf.

Keeble, of Rosehill Road, Ipswich, was originally accused of indecently assaulting two boys on September 16, 2002, while his sister, who he lives with, was in hospital awaiting an operation. He admitted one charge but denied the second and that was ordered to lie on file.

In court yesterday, prosecutor Stephen Spence said a boy had been invited by Keeble to go and see his parrot.

The boy and his friends, also aged under 16, went to the house and Mr Spence said: "Conversation then turned to a sexual nature."

Mr Spence said Keeble then indecently assaulted one of the boys, and showed them a pornographic magazine and video and offered to perform a sexual act on one of the boys.

As the boys went to leave he again indecently assaulted one of them and gave them £2.50 each, Mr Spence said.

One of the boys soon told his mum's partner – who had been looking for the boys when they failed to return home on time.

Judge John Holt, told Keeble: "You were clearly intent on a sexual encounter, it is clear I am not dealing with a fleeting incident."

He ordered Keeble to sign the sex offender's register for ten years and serve half of the nine-month prison sentence, with the rest of the sentence out on licence, which was extended to three years.