A former Team GB Olympic swimmer is facing jail after being convicted of raping two teenage girls.
Antony James, who featured in the London 2012 Games, was today found guilty of of eight offences – including three rapes and three counts of sexual activity with a child, plus two charges of causing or inciting a child into sexual activity.
The-34-year old, from Plymouth, was cleared of three other charges, while the jury did not return verdicts on six more charges, including five counts of rape.
The court heard how the alleged offences spanned a decade from 2012 to 2022, and at the time James was training up to be a police offcer, reports the Mirror.
The Devon and Cornwall force suspended him immediately and confirmed he is no longer a trainee police officer.
(Image: PA)
Prosecutor Lee Bremridge told the jury James had “sexual needs and desires” that twisted into something more dark and depraved over time.
His victims were under 16 when he first crossed paths with them, the courtroom heard.
Bremridge told jurors: “Please don’t assume that these were normal loving relationships, how could they be?”
One victim, who met James when she was just 13 years old, said she felt “pushed and violated” by him and was scared he would lose his temper.
During her court testimony, she recounted the harrowing experience: “There were many times I had sex with him I didn’t want to, I felt like I was leaving my body. I was just waiting for it to be over.”
Judge Robert Linford released James on conditional bail until the sentencing hearing, set after the finalisation of a pre-sentence report.