A former teacher jailed for sexual abuse of boys at a Jewish boarding school has had his sentence halved and his conviction on some charges quashed by the Court of Appeal.

Trevor Bolton received a 19-year sentence four years ago on 25 counts of abusing eight boys aged from 11 to 15 at Carmel College over a 20-year period from 1968 to 1988.

But the Court of Appeal last week reduced his sentence to nine years and upheld his appeal against six counts. They related to one complainant and included some of the most serious offences.

Three years ago, the Appeal Court rejected his attempt to have his sentence shortened.

Bolton, who was 78 when convicted, preyed on homesick or vulnerable boys while he was a housemaster at the college, which closed in 1997.

The Crown Prosecution Service said, following the Appeal Court decision, said it had not applied for a retrial as the complainant did not wish to go through further proceedings.

Andrew Grove, the solicitor who has pursued compensation for the abuse victims, said, “The outcome of Mr Bolton’s criminal appeal should not affect the civil claims for compensation.”