A paedophile who preyed on a child in Ilford has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Julian King, 53, of St John’s Road, Waltham Forest, was convicted after pleading guilty to counts of rape and other sexual offences against children, committed between 1997 and 2009.

He pleaded guilty to five counts of gross indecency involving a child under 14 years old, three counts of indecent assault on a female, three counts of attempted rape, one count of rape and one count of rape involving a child under 13.

King also pleaded guilty to one count of sexual activity and penetration involving a child under 16 and one count of taking indecent pictures of children.

He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

King was arrested after a victim came forward to police in 2014 to document the abuse, which took place in the Ilford area between 2003 and 2009.

She was aged under 16 at the time the abuse ended.

Another victim, under 13 at the time of the abuse, was abused by King between 1997 and 1999 in the Lambeth area.

In both instances, he was a friend of the victims’ families.

Officers from the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command investigated the incidents and arrested King on January 4 2015.

Det Con Jon Froude, from the command, said: “The victims were preyed upon by a depraved man who used his relationships to manipulate them.

“The sentence reflects the seriousness of the offences.”