1960s star's sex jail term is cut

Peter MacBeth was bass player with The Foundations

A terminally-ill 1960s pop star jailed for child sex offences has won a two-year reduction in his prison sentence after an appeal court ruling.

Peter MacBeth, a founding member of The Foundations who had a hit with Build Me Up Buttercup, admitted abusing a young girl and downloading child porn.

The 71-year-old from Trefriw near Llanrwst in the Conwy valley was jailed for six years last year.

Appeal court judges ruled this was too long and reduced his sentence.

Mold Crown Court had heard that he sexually assaulted a young girl four times, when she was seven and eight and later when she was 12 and 13, ending in 2005.

He was sentenced to a total of five years for the four indecency offences and a consecutive 12 months in relation to downloading pornographic images.

MacBeth, who was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx in 2000 and has been told he has between three and five years to live, was not present in court.

Bus driver

Lord Justice Scott Baker, sitting with two other judges, said: "We have come to the conclusion that, looking at this case from the viewpoint of totality, the sentence of six years imprisonment was significantly too long, taking into account all the circumstances.

"We think the right total sentence was one of four years imprisonment.

"It is, in our judgment, a matter of significance that the service of his time in prison will be that much harder for him to bear than someone, even of the same age, who is perfectly fit."

Macbeth was bass player with the Foundations until 1970 and had a worldwide hit with Build Me Up Buttercup in 1968.

After his pop career, MacBeth went into publishing literature for European golfing competitions and later worked as a bus driver.