A man is due to appear in court in April to face charges in connection with the rape and sexual assault of a girl nearly 30 years ago.

Police said this follows an investigation into an allegation that a child had been assaulted in Colchester between 1992 and 1993.

Martyn Shepherd, 43, of California Close, Colchester, is due to appear at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on April 13 to face charges of rape and indecent assault of a girl.

Police said: "We understand that publicising these cases can be distressing for some readers.

"We’d like to reassure you that we have specialist officers who support victims and investigate these types of offences, these officers can signpost you to support networks."

If you have been affected by a sexual offence or want to report one, you can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.