Shamed Detective Constable Christopher Hogg has been jailed for abusing the two youngsters when he was a teenager

A police officer jailed for two-and-half years for abusing children was caught because he looked like the Fonz from hit TV show Happy Days.

Detective Constable Christopher Hogg bore such a striking resemblance to the Henry Winkler character that one of his victims never forgot him.

The police officer, now 49, was just a teenager when he molested an eight-year-old boy he was supposed to be babysitting.

He then targetted a second boy, who was 14 at the time, who was assaulted at Hogg's home between 1985 and 1986, when Happy Days was watched by millions of kids.

Heartthrob Henry Winkler played the leather-jacketed super-cool hero Arthur Fonzarelli -The Fonz - in the 1950s-set High School comedy.

The first victim, now 44, said he never forgot Hogg because 'he looked like Fonzie from Happy Days with all his hair greased back'.

He said: 'The incident has stayed with me since I was eight and has never left. There are a lot of incidents in my life which I have forgotten over the years, but this was not one of them.

'He told me he'd kill me if I told anyone and gave me some money - about £5. A few days later I told my mum while we were out walking the dogs.

'I didn't go into details, but said he touched my private areas. She took the £5 from me and said she would deal with it - we never spoke about the incident again.'

Hogg, who joined North Yorkshire Police in 1988 and was based in York, denied three counts of indecent assault on a child aged between 14 and 16, and two counts of gross indecency with a child aged under 14 but was convicted.

None of the offences occurred when Hogg was a serving police officer. He was suspended from duty in 2016 when the victims first came forward and now faces the sack.

Detective Constable Chris Hogg, 49, arriving at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday with his wife. The court heard he held his hand over one of the victim's mouths and told him 'if you tell anyone I'll kill you'

Sheffield Crown Court heard Hogg was a teenager when he appeared in the boy's bedroom and said 'You do me and I'll do you' in a village near Scarborough one evening between May 1982 and September 1983.

Hogg held his hand over the victim's mouth and told him 'if you tell anyone I'll kill you' - and then gave the boy £5 as hush money.

A second male, 14, was also indecently assaulted by Hogg on a separate occasion between 1986 and 1989.

Prosecutor Sophie Drake told the trial: 'The victim did not know the defendant when he came to babysit him and says a man, known to him as Chris', entered his room.

'The defendant then put his hands down the victim's pants and then told him: "If you do me, I'll do you".'

Deputy Chief Constable Lisa Winward said: 'On behalf of North Yorkshire Police, I praise the two victims for having the courage to come forward and report the incidents more than three decades on knowing the perpetrator is now a police officer.

'I fully appreciate how challenging this must have been and I sincerely hope they can now begin to rebuild their lives.'

The NSPCC said: 'Hogg's disturbing crimes have finally caught up with him and it is right that he is now behind bars.

'Child sexual abuse can have a devastating impact on lives and this case underlines why it is so important that victims have the confidence to come forward.'