A convicted child sex offender from Milford will serve a further eight and a half years in jail after pleading guilty to historic sex abuse against a 14-year-old boy.

Christopher Coleman, 59, pleaded guilty at Guildford Crown Court yesterday (Thursday) to six charges against the same victim, including three counts of gross indecency, two counts of indecent assault and one count of buggery. The offences began in 1998 and took place over the course of a year, after Coleman befriended the victim through an internet chatroom.

The victim came forward in February 2019 after reading an article in a local newspaper about Coleman being convicted for similar offences in 2013, following which he received two life sentences, with a minimum of 15 years. This was later reduced on appeal to 12 years.

The victim rang to thank Surrey Police for ensuring Coleman was put behind bars, and said he had also been abused by him. An investigation was subsequently launched and Coleman was arrested in June 2019 on suspicion of a number of sexual offences.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Paddy Mayers said: "Coleman is a dangerous sexual predator who befriended the victim, knowing how old he was, with the sole intention of sexually abusing him. Although he was in prison already for similar offences, the sentence given to him today will ensure he remains behind bars for many more years to come. This sentence will hopefully prevent him ever being granted parole in the future.

"I would like to pay tribute to the victim for being brave enough to come forward and re-live his ordeal. Thankfully he never had to go through a trial, and I hope that the fact that Coleman will remain in prison will bring him closure and help him move on with this life.

"When the victim phoned to thank me and the team a number of years later for locking Coleman up, he didn't think we would be interested in conducting a further investigation, but this was simply not the case.

"I hope that this demonstrates that no matter when you come forward and report an offence, it will always be taken seriously and will always be fully investigated."