Staffordshire man jailed for 26 years after being found guilty of 17 child sex offences
A man has been found guilty of 18 offences, including 17 sexual offences against children.
Andrew Robert Pope, aged 56, of Burton-on-Trent, has been sentenced to 26 years in prison at Stafford Crown Court today.
In June last year, Staffordshire Police's evidence led to Pope being found guilty by a jury of a series of offences, including seven counts of rape of a girl.
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Staffordshire Police's investigation into Pope started in May 2024, after one of the survivors bravely came forward and told someone what had happened.
Throughout the course of the investigation, a number of survivors were spoken to, with the force gathering all the evidence needed to arrest Pope.
He denied all offences when he was interviewed in custody.
It was during the investigation that a further survivor came forward and told the force about more crimes that he had committed.
The full list of offences is found below:
Seven counts of rape of a girl.
Nine counts of engaging in indecent photographs/pseudo-photographs of a child.
One count of assaulting a person, thereby occasioning them actual bodily harm.
As part of his sentencing, Pope was also put onto the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely, given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and served with a restraining order, preventing him from contacting the survivors.
Detective Sergeant Gemma Sharp, from the force's Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: "Pope was prolific in his offending, and I’m pleased we’ve been able to secure this outcome today, which ensures he goes to prison for a long time.
“I’d like to commend the survivors in this case who have shown immense bravery from the start until the end of the criminal justice process.
“Pope tried up until the very end to hide what he had done, but because of our evidence and the bravery of the survivors, he failed."
If you’re a survivor of sexual offences and you feel ready to talk to Staffordshire Police in confidence, call 101 or use Live Chat on their website.
