A YORK police officer has been jailed for more than two years over historic child sex abuse.

A jury convicted Detective Constable Christopher Alfred Paul Hogg, 49, today of three counts of indecent assault on a child aged between 14 and 16, and two counts of gross indecency with a child aged under 14.

None of the offences occurred when Hogg was a serving police officer, and he was suspended from duty in 2016 when the victims first came forward.

He is now serving a prison sentence of two-and-a-half years.

A trial at Sheffield Crown Court heard Hogg was a teenager when he inappropriately touched an eight-year-old boy he was babysitting in a village near Scarborough. A second male, who was 14 at the time, said he was assaulted at Hogg’s home between 1985 and 1986.

The first victim, now 44, said he remembered Hogg because “he looked like Fonzie from Happy Days”.

He said: “The incident has stayed with me since I was eight and has never left. There are a lot of incidents in my life which I have forgotten over the years, but this was not one of them.

“He told me he’d kill me if I told anyone and gave me some money - about £5. A few days later I told my mum while we were out walking the dogs, I didn’t go into details, but said he touched my private areas. She took the £5 from me and said she would deal with it - we never spoke about the incident again.”

Hogg joined North Yorkshire Police in 1988 and worked in the York Investigation Hub prior to his suspension. He was charged with the offences in January 2017, and police said his position with the force was now “subject to a formal process”.

Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: “On behalf of North Yorkshire Police, I praise the two victims for having the courage to come forward and report the incidents more than three decades on knowing the perpetrator is now a police officer. I fully appreciate how challenging this must have been and I sincerely hope they can now begin to rebuild their lives.”

A spokeswoman for the NSPCC said: “Hogg’s disturbing crimes have finally caught up with him and it is right that he is now behind bars.

“Child sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on lives and this case underlines why it is so important that victims have the confidence to come forward.”

*Anyone with concerns about a child can phone the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 8005000, and children seeking advice or support can phone Childline on 0800 1111.