A PAEDOPHILE who "groomed" five young girls in Bolton and abused them to "fulfil his perverted lust" has failed in a bid to have his conviction quashed.

David Hodgkinson, formerly of Brathay Close, Breightmet, admitted multiple counts of rape, attempted rape, unlawful sexual intercourse and indecent assault at Bolton Crown Court in 1998. He was given a total of 16 years.

Yesterday, Appeal Court judge, Mr Justice Gibbs, described 38-year-old Hodgkinson's offences as "determined sexual offending against young girls" and said there was no reason why he should give permission for a conviction appeal.

Hodgkinson, who was not present, had written to the court in London claiming he had been badly let down by his defence team at his original trial.

He claimed he should have been granted an adjournment because he had not seen all the evidence and said his barrister was so inept he should have been replaced.

Hodgkinson also wrote that he only pleaded guilty because he was told he would get a "maximum" of 15 years by his lawyers. But Mr Justice Gibbs, who heard the case with Lord Justice Mantell and the Recorder of Preston, Judge Peter Openshaw, said Hodgkinson's submissions had "no merit".

The judge said Hodgkinson had "groomed" the girls, who were aged between 11 and 16 at the time of trial, to fulfil his "perverted lust".

Mr Justice Gibbs added Hodgkinson made the girls watch pornographic movies and asked them to recreate sex scenes in them, and told one of them he wanted to have a baby with her.

When Hodgkinson was arrested in November 1997 he admitted having sex with the girls, but claimed they all consented to intercourse.

He later changed his plea to guilty on the second day of the trial -- but not before one of the girls, who was "mentally scarred" by what Hodgkinson had done to her, had to undergo the "ordeal" of giving evidence.

Mr Justice Gibbs said he was particularly concerned as the appeal showed Hodgkinson, who he described as a "dangerous pervert", had not admitted that what he had done was wrong.