Child sex offender convicted of 18 crimes

A child sex offender has been found guilty of 18 crimes after we launched an investigation.

Andrew Robert Pope, 56, of Burton-on-Trent, was found guilty by a jury at the end of a trial at Stafford Crown Court on 3 June.

Our detectives started investigating him in May last year after one of the survivors bravely came forward and told someone about what happened.

Throughout the course of our investigation, a number of survivors were spoken to. We gathered all of the evidence needed and arrested Pope, who denied all of the offences when he was interviewed in custody.

When we searched his house, we seized his phone and found indecent images on it.

It was during our investigation that a further survivor came forward and told us about more crimes that Pope had committed.

Through our evidence, and the bravery of the survivors, Pope was charged a number of offences and taken to court. He continued to deny his crimes but a jury deemed him guilty on all 18 charges, including:

• Seven counts of rape of a girl
• Nine counts of engaging in sexual activity with a girl
• One count of making indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child
• One count of assaulting a person thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm

Detective Sergeant Gemma Szalapski, from our rape and serious sexual offences unit, said: “By working tirelessly to find out the extent of Pope’s crimes, we were able to help another survivor come forward and seek the right support.

“It is their immeasurable bravery that has resulted in this outcome. I’m pleased that the verdict was reached and all of Pope’s offending will be recognised, despite his attempts to hide the truth.”

He is due to be sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on 3 October this year.