A man has today been jailed for 11 years for child sex offences in Portsmouth.

Colin Stear, 67, of Plymouth Street, Southsea, was charged with three counts of assaulting a boy under 13 by touching and two counts of causing or inciting a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

This related to non-recent sexual offences against two victims between 2004 and 2018 in Portsmouth. 

Stear denied the offences but was convicted following a trial. He was sentenced today (2 May) at Portsmouth Crown Court to 11 years in prison, with a three-year extension to his licence period.

He was also handed an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Detective Constable George Aram said: "I want to thank the victims in this case for coming forward and working with our officers to achieve this result.

"No matter how long ago an offence happened, we want to make sure any victim of sexual assault has the confidence to report to the police. We will listen to you and we will get you justice."

We want to encourage anyone who has been affected by child sexual abuse to contact police on 101, where you can speak to an officer in confidence.

We recognise that not everyone has the confidence to talk to police about what they have experienced. Please be reassured that there are other services available that can offer you specialist support to help you deal with the impact of abuse.

For information and contact details relating to sexual abuse support services, you can visit our dedicated web page: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rsa/rape-and-sexual-assault/support-for-victims-of-rape-and-sexual-assault/

You can also find out more about how to report, and seek support for child abuse here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/caa/child-abuse/

Alternatively, contact Child Line on 0800 11 11, or if you are an adult who has been affected, you can call the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000.