A retired haulier was convicted of indecently assaulting two young girls as they played hide and seek in a barn on a Speyside farm.
The victims, who were both aged under 13 at the time and are now adults, cannot be named for legal reasons and were not in court when a jury returned a majority verdict after almost two-and-a-half hours.
Grantown man George Duff, 65, of Milton Farm House, Dulnain Bridge, was convicted on four charges of abusing them over a period between June, 1971, and September, 1972.
He had denied a total of six charges, four involving one girl and two involving the other.
One charge was dropped after a successful no case to answer plea by defence lawyer Alison Foggo, and the jury returned a not proven verdict on a second.
But Duff was found guilty of four charges, two each involving a different girl.
The offences took place at a farm near Cromdale and in a car near the farm.
One victim occasionally broke down in tears as she described taking part in hide and seek games with Duff in 1971 when he took her high up in the barn into the hay bales.
She said he touched her inappropriately.
She told the jury: “I froze. It seemed like forever. I did not know why he was doing that. It happened several times but not more than four.”
On another occasion, around a year later, she said she was getting driving lessons from Duff and he similarly indecently assaulted her.
His other victim also gave emotional evidence and said she was indecently assaulted by Duff in the barn during a game of hide and seek and again during a driving lesson.
Duff will be sentenced in July after a background report and risk assessment is carried out.
He was placed on the sex offenders register by Sheriff Margaret Neilson.