A ONE-legged paedophile who was jailed for the horrific sexual abuse of three young girls has seen his “excessive” sentence slashed on appeal.

As previously reported, Leslie Foote, from Eastleigh, was jailed at Southampton Crown Court in June after he was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault against three girls.

But three top judges at the Court of Appeal in London said the 15-year prison sentence was too tough on the 65-year-old pervert and cut it to 12 years.

Mr Justice Males told the court that Foote’s crimes against the three girls only came to light when he ended up in court for child porn offences last year.

A catalogue of sick crimes against children was then revealed, dating from the 1980s through to the end of the 1990s and involving children as young as four.

The lorry driver lost his right leg in an accident in the early 1990s, but he still managed to find another victim to molest.

After his arrest, Foote, of Tennyson Road, accused the girls of being liars and continues to deny the offences now, showing no remorse or compassion for the victims, the judge said.

At London’s Court of Appeal, his lawyers argued that the 15-year sentence was too long and succeeded in winning a cut from the appeal judge, sitting with Lord Justice Laws and Mr Justice Griffith Williams.

Mr Justice Males said the case was “very serious” and that it warranted a lengthy jail term.

But he added: “Having regard to the guidelines and the maximum sentence applicable at the relevant time, we conclude that a total of 15 years was excessive and that the total sentence should be 12 years.”