Team GB swimmer Antony James handed 21-year jail sentence for rape of two schoolgirls
A former British Olympian has been jailed for up to 21 years after raping two schoolgirls.
Antony James, who competed at the London 2012 Games, was today sentenced after what Plymouth Crown Court was told was a “Shakespearean fall from grace” for “a serial liar and manipulator.”
James was found guilty last October of eight offences in total – three rapes and three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, plus two charges of causing or inciting a child into sexual activity.
The 35-year-old from Plymouth was cleared of three other charges and the jury failed to return verdicts on six other sex charges, which included five counts of rape.
The court was told the alleged offences took place over a 10-year period between 2012 and 2022 and when James was arrested he had been working as a trainee police officer. The Devon and Cornwall force, who immediately suspended James, said he joined in October 2020 but was immediately suspended after initial disclosures were made in January 2022. He was subsequently dismissed from the Force in August 2023.
Judge Robert Linford said James was “highly talented and highly regarded” but had “groomed and repeatedly sexually abused two people.” He “lavished attention” on the first victim when she was 14 and he was 21 and “made her feel loved,” the judge said.
During his offending, he “repeatedly touched the area of her vagina on at least four occasions.” The judge said, despite the defendant’s claims, the “evidence you knew full well her age was utterly overwhelming.”
He added: “You knew what you were doing was seriously wrong but your desire for this young person overtook your self control.” The judge said he had “manufactured” a relationship but “betrayed that by raping her in her own home.”
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.”
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Ilona Rosson said: “Antony James preyed upon and groomed his young victims in a calculated fashion, abusing their trust and convincing them to become sexually involved with him. He is a highly manipulative individual who exploited and controlled these girls for his own sexual gratification.
“He claimed that he thought the girls were over the age of consent when the offending began but his lies were exposed during the trial. He was well aware of their ages and continued to abuse them even after they turned 16.
“This was a lengthy and complex investigation led by the Major Crime Investigation Team and I thank the officers for their professionalism. Our thoughts remain first and foremost with the survivors in this case who bravely gave evidence in court and supported our investigation. We would not have achieved today’s outcome without their tenacity and courage.”
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