Carlisle rapist Harold Nicholson jailed for 1990s attacks on girl

Harold Nicholson was found guilty of five rape offences

A man who repeatedly raped a young girl in the 1990s has been jailed for 20 years.

Harold Nicholson, 71, was reported to police in 2019 over the attacks.

Nicholson, of Holywell Crescent in Carlisle, was jailed at the city's crown court after being found guilty of five counts of rape.

Police praised the victim's courage in coming forward and said historical sexual offences will be dealt with "no matter how much time has passed".

Det Con Kerry Gibson said: "It is understandably difficult and distressing for victims of rape to talk about what happened to them, but the courage this victim has shown has enabled us to provide justice.

"There is no doubt that Nicholson's actions have had a profound impact on the victim's life, but I hope she and her family feel able to try and move forward now that justice has been done.

"I hope that this sentence sends a clear message to the perpetrators that no matter how much time has passed, serious sexual assaults will not be tolerated and we will do everything within our power to hold them accountable for their actions and bring them to justice."