A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to "vile" historic sexual offences which took place at a Godalming boarding school in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Charles Phillip Johnson, 72, of Hall Place Drive in Weybridge , was sentenced to one year in prison at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday (July 11) after admitting two counts of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 14 years.

The offences took place at Barrow Hills School, which was owned by the Josephites (a religious order).

However it was sold by them in 1990 and is now run by trustees as an independent charity.

Investigating officer Peter Gahan from Surrey Police’s Safeguarding Investigation Unit said: “I hope this guilty verdict and sentence will in some way help the victim to come to terms with what’s happened and move on with his life.

“He had the courage to report Johnson’s vile offending and I’d like to commend his bravery in coming forward.

“I would also encourage any victim to come forward to Surrey Police and report any similar incidents by calling 101.

"Surrey Police treats all allegations of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, extremely seriously.

"Our priority is victim care and people need to feel confident that if they come forward and report an offence, we can help.

"We have a dedicated investigation team for such crime and the dedicated unit works to obtain best evidence.

"We also work closely with our partner agencies including the NHS with whom Surrey Police has a Sexual Assault Referral Centre.”

Johnson was also given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order at his sentencing.

Advice for those affected by sexual abuse and assault can be found on the Surrey Police website at www.surrey.police.uk .

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