Victims of what a judge has described as chilling sexual abuse by a Christchurch man have asked his name to be made public.

Dennis Aubrey Newell was sentenced this morning in the Christchurch District Court for eight charges of sexually abusing young children in the early 1980s.

The 70-year-old was given eight years, six months jail for offending on children aged under 12 at the time.

Judge Paul Kellar told the court Dennis Newell's case has some chilling aspects, including that he continues to deny the offending.

- Newstalk ZB