A 70-year-old man, Alan Pearce, has been jailed for raping a seven-year-old girl more than 40 years ago, and police believe he may have abused other victims. Pearce, from Heckmondwike, was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of rape and indecently assaulting the child between 1983 and 1985. The woman reported the offences in 2021, triggering an investigation by Kirklees child safeguarding detectives. In 2024, charges were brought against Pearce. Det Sgt Paul Campbell, from West Yorkshire Police, said the investigation into Pearce’s offending suggests there could be other victims who have not yet been identified. He urged anyone who may have information to contact the force’s specially trained officers. At the hearing on Thursday, Pearce was made subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and he was told he would serve an additional year on licence after his release. Pearce has already been sentenced and is in prison, while police continue their appeal for anyone else affected to come forward.