A vile pervert who assaulted a young girl has been jailed and forced to register for life as a sex offender.

Mark Cole of The Warren in Ashtead was found guilty of three counts of non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13 at Guildford Crown Court today (Thursday, June 22).

The 54-year-old was immediately sentenced to four years in jail and on release will be subject to lifetime registration as a sex offender.

Cole’s crimes took place throughout 2015 in Dorking and Ashtead.

DC Tony Morrey from Surrey Police said: “I hope this guilty verdict and sentence will in some way help the young girl to come to terms with what’s happened and move on with her life.

“She had the courage to report Cole’s vile offending to an adult despite the fact that he made her swear not to tell anyone and I’d like to commend her bravery in coming forward.

He added: “Surrey Police treats all allegations of sexual abuse, whether recent or non-recent, extremely seriously. Our priority is victim care and people need to feel confident that if they come forward and report an offence, we can help. We have a dedicated investigation team for such crime and the dedicated unit works to obtain best evidence.

"We also work closely with our partner agencies including the NHS with whom Surrey Police has a Sexual Assault Referral Centre.”

Advice for those affected by sexual abuse and assault can be found at surrey.police.uk