A "PROLIFIC" child rapist has admitted 78 offences relating to the sexual abuse of 22 young victims - some as young as two years old.

Peter Daniels, aged 70, pleaded guilty to the charges at Winchester Crown Court today and has been remanded in custody until he is sentenced next year.

The charges relate to offences against 22 young victims, who were aged between two and 13 when they were abused by Daniels, between 2008 and 2017.

He was convicted after video footage of his crimes was discovered by police, giving conclusive proof of the scale of his offending and the identities of his victims, some of whom were unaware of what had happened to them, due to either their very young age or the fact they had been either asleep or unconscious during the assaults.

Detective Inspector Nicki Davey, from Salisbury CID, said the investigation into Daniels had been one of the most extensive and complex of its kind carried out by Wiltshire Police in recent years.

He was initially jailed for 12 years last October, after a young girl reported that she had been sexually abused by Daniels. 

At the time he pleaded guilty to 12 offences, which included rape, attempted rape, sexual touching and possession of indecent images.

“However, we knew it was highly likely that Daniels’ offending was much more far-reaching than our initial investigation proved, and examination of his computers, laptops and mobile phones, revealed that he was a prolific sex offender, who had targeted vulnerable young girls over a long period of time," DI Davey added.

Police and the Crown Prosecution Service considered more than 4,000 videos and images, as well as interviews, to bring the correct charges against Daniels, who pleaded guilty after he saw the extend of the evidence gathered.

Claire Booth, from the CPS, said: “Peter Daniels systematically abused his victims over many years giving no thought to the long term effects his actions would have on these young and vulnerable victims. He was focused solely on his own sexual gratification. Much of this abuse he recorded and catalogued on his computer.

“I would like to commend the young victims and the bravery they have shown. We hope that this outcome provides them with some closure.”

Det Insp Davey added: “Daniels is a manipulative man who used his standing in the communities of Salisbury and Amesbury to gain the trust of children and their families. He then abused this trust in the worst possible way.

“This has obviously been a hugely traumatic time for his victims and their families and I would like to pay tribute to their bravery. I hope they will have some relief knowing that Daniels has admitted to these offences, meaning they will not have to re-live their abuse during a trial."

Daniels is a published author and well known around Salisbury, including writing the Journal’s Scrapbook column until December 2015.

To report sexual abuse please phone police on 101 or, if you wish to remain anonymous, via Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.

The NSPCC Helpline can also be contacted on 0808 800 5000, by anyone seeking support and advice.