A PERVERTED puppeteer who sexually abused a Gwent youngster has failed to convince top judges that jurors at his trial lost the plot.

Rene Ernest Seren-Dat, 77, of Middlewood Road, Sheffield, committed the offences whilst living in Wales in the 1990's.

He was jailed for three and a half years in April, after being convicted of two counts of indecent assault at Cardiff Crown Court.

Lord Justice McCombe, Mr Justice Foskett and Judge Peter Rook QC, sitting at London's Criminal Appeal Court, today heard him challenge the jury's guilty verdicts.

Seren-Dat earned his living as a puppeteer in Yorkshire, using a canine character called Lady Soozie in his shows.

He and Lady Soozie had previously spearheaded a campaign agaist dog mess on the streets of Sheffield.

But he was arrested, after a boy who had been abused by him in Gwent, when he was aged under 10, tracked him down on the internet.

Seren-Dat denied any wrongdoing, despite having previous convictions for sex offences against young boys dating back to the 1960's.

But the jury convicted him after hearing prosecution claims that he had posed as a church minister and showered his victim with gifts to gain his trust.

Seren-Dat was acquitted of five further sex attack charges, whilst jurors were unable to make their minds up on some other counts.

Lawyers for Seren-Dat today argued the jury's verdicts made no logical sense and that his convictions ought to be quashed.

Rejecting his complaints, however, Mr Justice Foskett said: "We are not convinced that there is any problem with inconsistency in this case.

"The jury focused carefully on the evidence and reached entirely proper conclusions. This application is dismissed."