A former Olympic swimmer has been discovered responsible of raping two teenage ladies who had been aged below 18 on the time.
Antony James, 34, from Plymouth, was additionally discovered responsible of sexually touching one of many ladies when she was below the age of 16, and getting the opposite to ship him sexually express footage when she was below the age of 16.
Plymouth Crown Courtroom heard James, who represented Nice Britain on the 2012 Olympics in London, was a pleasant and infrequently charming man, however the prosecution mentioned he was additionally “a serial liar and manipulator”.
He was discovered not responsible of two picture associated offences and of controlling behaviour in relation to a 3rd feminine who was over the age of 18.
The jury was unable to succeed in verdicts in relation to 6 expenses of different sexual offences and the prosecution has been given every week to contemplate whether or not to use for a retrial on the excellent expenses.
The court docket heard on the time of his arrest in January 2022 he was coaching to be a police officer with Devon and Cornwall Police – he’s not an worker of the drive.
It was advised the offences came about over a 10-year interval between 2012 and 2022.
One of many ladies advised the jury: “I didn’t really feel like I might, or ought to, say no as a result of I actually cherished him and trusted him… I felt like if I didn’t appear excited about the identical issues he was excited about, he wouldn’t suppose I used to be grown up sufficient.”
The court docket heard his manipulation of this sufferer ran so deep that when he was reported to police she advised them he was ” man” and he or she didn’t need him to go to jail. The prosecution mentioned she was not freely consenting to any of the acts.
The decide advised him to count on a “substantial jail sentence”.
