A RETIRED vicar who indecently assaulted a young girl over 40 years ago has been jailed.

Graham Gregory, who previously held a position in Hastings, was sentenced to three years imprisonment at Kingston Crown Court on Tuesday, having been found guilty in 2014 of two counts of indecent assault on a girl under 13.

The 79-year-old of Brockfield Park Drive, Huntington, York, was acquitted of two further counts of indecent assault following a retrial at the same court.

Detective Constable Aaron Vardy, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Gregory abused his position as a figure of trust and authority.

“It takes a lot of courage to report this type of crime and in some cases victims feel that they are only able to come forward years after the offence.

“This conviction highlights that regardless of how much time has passed, we remain committed to bringing offenders before the courts.

“I would urge anyone else who may have been a victim of Gregory's abuse to contact with the police.”

Detectives were contacted by a woman in 2012 who claimed she had been abused as a child between 1969 and 1971 when she lived in Wandsworth and attended the church where Gregory was curate. She told officers he kissed her on several occasions before assaulting her.

A second woman – who also knew Gregory through the same church – informed officers she too had been abused as a child.