A man has been found guilty of multiple sexual offences against a girl who was six-years-old at the time the assaults began.

Matthew Loder, 37, gained the trust of the victim’s family before sexually assaulting her multiple times.

When Loder was in custody his mobile phone was examined and officers discovered 18 indecent images of children, the majority graded category A – the most severe.

Loder, formerly of Kent Road in Huntingdon, pleaded not guilty to multiple rapes of a child under 13, multiple sexual assaults by penetration, sexual touching of a child under 16 and making indecent images of children. Yesterday, following a six-day trial at Peterborough Crown Court, a jury found him guilty of all charges.

Loder had previously pleaded guilty to a separate charge of sexual assault on another child who was aged eight at the time of the offence. He has been remanded in custody, where he has been since January 2016.

He will be sentenced for both sets of offences at a later date. A provisional court date has been given of October 13 at Huntingdon Crown Court.

Detective Constable Jenna Maryniak, who investigated, said: “The victims were extremely brave in coming forward and providing the evidence needed to secure this guilty verdict.

“Loder has been told to expect a very lengthy prison sentence, which means the cycle of abuse stops here. I hope the guilty verdicts and sentence to come will provide the victims and their families some closure and allow them to move on with the rest of their lives.”