An 80-year-old man from St Albans has been found guilty of historic child sex offences.

Anthony Dear, also known as ‘Danny', was convicted of 23 counts of rape and sexual assault following a trial at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, February 24.

READ MORE

All charges related to one female victim, over a four-year period.

At the time, the victim would have been aged between 11 and 15.

DS Larissa Nightingale said: “It is very clear that Dear is a danger to children and I’m pleased that a guilty verdict has been returned on every count.

“I’d like to commend the victim for the bravery and resilience she has shown throughout the investigation and trial.

"I hope the result will give her some sense of justice and closure.”

“I also hope this case reassures people that we take all reports of sexual assault seriously, no matter how long ago the offence(s) occurred.

"We have specially trained officers on hand to provide support and guidance and will always do whatever we can to gather the necessary evidence to build the strongest case possible.

“I would encourage any other victims to come forward, if they feel ready to.

"We will listen.”

Anthony Dear will now be sentenced on Monday, June 26.

The Herts Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) can be contacted by calling 0808 178 4448, emailing Herts.SARC@nhs.net or visiting www.hertssarc.org.

Information can be reported online at herts.police.uk/report or by calling non-emergency number 101.

Anonymous information can be given to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.