Former Olympian guilty of raping teenage girls

A former Olympic swimmer and trainee police officer, who represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Games, has been convicted of raping two teenage girls (Wednesday 16 October).

Antony James, 34, was convicted by a jury at Plymouth Crown Court of eight charges, including three counts of rape, three of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity.  

He had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent photographs of a child. James was granted conditional bail by the judge until his sentence date, which is yet to be fixed.

The jury could not reach a verdict on one count of sexual activity with a child, and five counts of rape. The Crown Prosecution Service has been given seven days to decide whether to seek a retrial on those counts.

The judge directed not guilty verdicts for three counts of intentionally encouraging/assisting an offence.

James, who was a student officer with Devon and Cornwall Police at the time of his arrest, had denied all the charges, which took place over a 10-year period between 2012 and 2022.

Gemma Kneebone from the Crown Prosecution Service said:

“Antony James manipulated and controlled his teenage victims to fulfil his own sexual desires.

“He claimed that these young victims were over 16 at the time, but this was a lie which collapsed under scrutiny. James was well aware of how young these victims were, and he set out to take advantage of this in a truly appalling manner, continuing to offend against them after they turned 16.

“This prosecution would not have been possible without the evidence so bravely provided by the young women involved, and I would like to thank them for coming forward to support the case.

“The CPS is determined to deliver justice for victims of sexual abuse – and for every victim to have confidence that we will not hesitate to bring the strongest possible charges against those who carry out these heinous crimes.