Andrew Speers 53

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A child rapist from Birmingham has been jailed for 25 years.

Andrew Speers, 53, was found guilty of multiple offences including raping a child and possession of child sexual abuse material.

Speers was arrested in July last year after police raided his home address and a substantial amount of child sexual abuse material was recovered from his digital devices.

Following an investigation, police discovered he had also raped a child.

Speers, of Bell Court, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children but denied multiple offences of raping a child.

He was found guilty following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in March.

He was sentenced to 25 years at the same court on July 10.

Speers will remain on the sex offender register for the rest of his life.

A West Midlands Police spokesperson said:

"This was a truly horrendous case, but thankfully due to the bravery of the victim coming forward, we were able to ensure Speers has now been jailed.

"We would encourage anyone who has suffered sex offences to come forward and tell their story.

"We know reporting rape, sexual assault or another sexual crime like indecent exposure or upskirting can be daunting.

"We're here to support you whether you're ready to report it to us or if you'd prefer to talk to someone else.

"If you want to talk it through before deciding whether to report to us, you can talk to a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), an Independent Sexual Violence Advisor service (ISVA) or another support service."