A former soldier has been jailed for ten years for abusing schoolgirls whilst serving overseas in the British Army.
Shane Townson, 58, was jailed for four counts of indecent assault on girls aged under 16 at Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday.
The former squaddie previously pleaded guilty to the offences at Colchester Magistrates’ Court in September.
He has been put on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life after admitting four offences of indecently assaulting a girl under 16 dating back to the 1990s after he left the Army.
Townson joined the Army in 1978 and left in 1993, and Essex Police started an investigation in February 2017, after receiving reports of sexual abuse between 1984 and 1995.
The former British Army solider was also convicted for two other child sex offences committed while serving overseas.
His victims were in their 30s when they contacted police and reported they were in Colchester where they were subjected to assaults.
The reports were initially investigated by the Royal Military Police.
Townson, from Cornwall, was interviewed by Devon and Cornwall Police where he made admissions about his crimes before being summonsed to court.
Investigating officer DC Rachel Evemy said: “Townson subjected young girls to abuse over a lengthy period of time.
“In 2017, they both bravely came forward as adults and spoke about the abuse they were subjected to as children.
“Townson was then interviewed made he made admissions about his crimes.
“I would like to praise both women for their courage and I would like to thank other key witnesses for their assistance with this case.
“Townson will now face the consequences of his actions in prison.
“I hope this case will encourage other victims of recent and non-recent abuse to come forward and report information.
“We will take your report seriously and we will look to bring sexual offenders like Townson to court.”
