Peter MacBeth, a member of sixties band The Foundations, probably best know for their hit 'Build Me Up Buttercup', has been jailed for child sex offences, after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a young girl on four occasions over a six year period, and of downloading child porn from the internet. He has been jailed for six years, but could die in prison because he has terminal cancer.
MacBeth originally denied the allegations of sexual assault, and claimed he had downloaded the pictures while researching a book about a young boy who was abused. But by the time of his trial his defence seemed more keen to use his age - he is 71 - and his condition, initially saying he was unfit to face trial, and once the trial went ahead pushing for a more lenient sentence because of his circumstances.
A founder member and bass player for The Foundations, who had a worldwide hit with 'Build Me Up Buttercup' in 1968, after his music career ended MacBeth spent sometime in corporate publishing, producing literature for golf tournaments. He later worked as a bus driver, falling ill in 2001.
He was accused of assaulting the girl in question on four occasions, when she was seven and eight, and later when she was 12 and 13, the final assault being in 2005. The judge hearing the case said he had taken MacBeth's condition into account before sentencing, but added "that factor has very little weight compared to the damage you have done".