Police are urging possible victims of a paedophile sex predator who raped a girl under nine years old in east London to come forward.

Sydney Mimer, now 69, carried out attacks over several years on a girl aged seven to nine at the time at an address in Poplar and in a vehicle he owned.

He was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court today to 18 years and two months after admitting in the middle of his trial last week to five offences committed more than 10 years ago.

The jury was directed as a result of his change of plea to find him guilty on two charges of raping a child under 13, one charge of sexual activity with a child under 13 and two of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The rapes came to light in March last year when the girl—now in her late teens—confided what had happened to her mother.

“Mimer is a predatory paedophile who carried out a sustained campaign of sexual abuse against a young girl,” Det Con Neil Golding said after today’s sentencing.

“His actions have had a devastating impact on the girl’s life. I only hope that seeing him jailed can give her some closure and allow her to move on with her life.”

Police are urging other possible victims of Mimer to come forward.

“The calculated manner of this abuse shows he may have carried out other offences,” Det Con Golding added. “So we are appealing to anyone who has been targeted by Sydney Mimer to come forward and speak to the police.”

Mimer refused to answer questions that detectives from the Met’s Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command put to him in April, 2016, the court heard.

He was subsequently arrested last year at his address in Oban Street in Poplar and later charged in December.

Mimer denied the charges when his trial opened—then changed his plea to guilty half-way through.

The NSPCC tonight praised Mimer’s victim for her “tremendous bravery in coming forward” and speaking out.

Their spokesman said: “It’s thanks to her courage that Mimer is now facing the consequences of his depraved actions.”

The case highlighted how vital it was for victims to have confidence to come forward, the charity points out.