EX-POLICE officer Michael Inskip has been jailed after being found guilty of indecently assaulting a young girl two decades ago.

The 63-year-old, formerly of Boundary Close, Stratton St Margaret, was convicted on October 13 of two counts of indecent assault on a girl under 16 in the 1980s and 1990s.

He was cleared of three similar allegations and the jury failed to return verdicts on two further counts of indecent assault.

Today at Portsmouth Crown Court, he was sentenced to three years and 9 months in prison.

Det Cons Melissa Carr said: "We are very pleased with today's result which hopefully goes some way of getting justice for the victim and help give her and her family some closure.

"By reporting this, it allowed us to thoroughly investigate this incident to successful prosecute this man.

“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who may have been a victim of sex abuse, regardless of how much time has passed, to report it to police.

"We will investigate, provide you with the full support you need, and do all that we can to bring to justice offenders like Inskip.”

Victims contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. They also seek support and counselling from the Sexual Assault Referral Centre based at the New Swindon Sanctuary - they can be contacted on the 24-hour helpline 0808 168 0024.

An NSPCC spokesman for South West England said: “Regardless of the time that has passed, these offences are shocking and represent an extremely serious case of child sexual abuse.

“Inksip’s victim must be praised for her bravery in speaking out. It is absolutely right that people who suffered child sexual abuse, such as the woman in this case, can seek justice and support no matter how much time has passed since their ordeal."

Any adult wishing to discuss a child’s welfare can contact the NSPCC Helpline at any time for free on 0808 800 5000.