A HAMPSHIRE man who had forced a young girl to have sex with him for years has died.

An inquest into the death of Derek Lemmon has been opened.

Lemmon, 85, died at Winchester Prison on November 24, 2018.

He was sent to prison in July 2017 after admitting eight charges of indecent assault, two of which would now be classed as rape offences.

Lemmon, of Salisbury Road, Portsmouth, abused his victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, from the age of 10 in the 1990s. The abuse was repeated over a period of years and Lemmon was sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court in July last year.

He was jailed for 12 years and six months.

Winchester Coroner's Court heard how a post-mortem examination revealed Lemmon suffered from lung cancer.

Senior coroner Grahame Short adjourned the inquest until April 30, 2019.