An elderly man has been jailed for more than eight years after pleading guilty to historic sexual offences against four children who were in his care at a boarding school during the 1970s and 1980s.

Gifford Hugh Jones, formerly of Mole Road, Sindlesham, assaulted his victims aged between six and nine years old at Dromenagh School, Seven Hills Road, near Iver.

The 79-year-old was a houseparent at the school, which closed in 1996.

Jones was sentenced on December 22 at Aylesbury Crown Court after pleading guilty at the same court on September 15 to nine counts of indecent assault on a boy under the age of 14 years and five counts of gross indecency with a boy under the age of 14 years.

He was jailed for eight years and six months.

Detective Constable Jo Dolder, of the Child Abuse Investigation Unit at Aylesbury Police Station, said: “While this sentence will never change what happened to the victims, I hope it gives them a resolution after all of these years and a sense that Jones has now faced the consequences of his actions.

“It has taken the victims, who were young vulnerable boys at the time of the offences, a great deal of courage to come forward.

“I hope this sentence today sends out a message to all victims of sexual offences that Thames Valley Police takes all reports of this nature seriously and we will do everything we can to ensure offenders face justice.”