Jail for man who raped and sexually abused children

A man who raped and sexually abused children has been jailed for 26 years.

Andrew Robert Pope, 56, was convicted of seven counts of raping a girl aged under 13 and nine counts of engaging in sexual activity with a girl aged 13-15 following a trial in June.

The jury also found him guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and making indecent photographs of a child. All the offences took place between 2010 and 2024.

Pope, of Rolleston Road in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, denied his offences throughout a police investigation and trial and was handed his prison term at Stafford Crown Court on Friday. Police praised the bravery of the survivors.

He was put on the sex offenders register indefinitely and served a restraining order stopping him from contacting the survivors.

An investigation into Pope started in May 2024 after one of the victims came forward, Staffordshire Police said.

Officers spoke to a number of other survivors before arresting him.

Det Sgt Gemma Sharp said Pope was "prolific" in his offending and praised the survivors for showing "immense bravery".

"Pope tried up until the very end to hide what he had done," she added, "but because of our evidence and the bravery of the survivors, he failed."

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.