A Team GB Olympic ace who groomed then raped two teenage girls has been jailed for more than 20 years.

       Twisted predator Antony James, who represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Games, was convicted of three counts of rape, three of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity in October.

       When arrested he was a student officer with Devon and Cornwall Police.

       James, 35, groomed the girls while they were aged under 16 and got them to send him sexually explicit images and videos.

       He then raped the victims in the kitchen of their home and in a car respectively in offences spanning over a decade between 2012 and 2022, Plymouth Crown Court heard on Wednesday.

       The defendant competed in the 100-metre butterfly for Great Britain at London 2012, and won a silver medal for his country at the Commonwealth Games in 2010.

       Lee Brembridge, prosecuting, told hold the first victim, who James was involved with between 2012 and 2016, confessed to investigators that he “made her feel loved and flattered”.

       James would touch and stroke her neck and follow up with messages as part of his grooming, before he touched her intimately when she was 15 years old, the court heard.

       James then “progressed” his abuse but argued he did not have sex with his victim because his penis “didn’t go all the way in”, the prosecutor said.

       It was clear James “had a sexual interest in children” by late 2019, Mr Brembridge told the court.

       In late 2020, he got the second victim – who was 15 at the time – to send him still and moving images of herself in her underwear, which she received as a gift for Christmas, the court heard.

       He also “encouraged her to have a bath and make herself feel good”, the prosecutor revealed.

       James then arranged to meet the girl near her home address in a car in January and March 2021 to have sex.

       Reading her victim impact statement out in court, the second victim said James was “twisted and strange” and had “tampered and manipulated me into what you wanted me to be”.

       She added: “I feel as if my formative teenage years have been stripped from me. I always wonder what kind of girl I would have been if I hadn’t have met you.

       “I hope you struggle to live with what you have done.”

       Michael Brown, defending, said James was “not a normal defendant” because of his previous high social standing.

       He added: “It really is a Shakespearean fall from grace, given the contributions he made to his city and his country.

       “He is someone who, by their very achievements in life, has excelled.”

       Judge Robert Linford sentenced James to 21 years in prison, with two-thirds of the sentence to be served in custody before being released on licence.

       A sexual harm prevention order was made for a period of 25 years, and the defendant will be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

       Addressing James about his first victim, the judge said: “You knew what you were doing was seriously wrong but your desire for that young person overtook your self-control.

       “She believed that you two were in a relationship. It seems that indeed what had been manufactured was a relationship, but then you betrayed that by raping her in her own home.”

       The judge said the six counts of indecent images “simply add to the story of abuse”, adding: “Your rather nonchalant approach to this catalogue of abuse was that it was all consensual.”

       James was found guilty by a jury of eight charges in October last year, including three counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child, and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

       He had also previously admitted to six counts of making indecent photographs of a child in April last year.

       The shame-faced former athlete spoke only to confirm his identity at the sentencing.

       Gemma Kneebone, senior crown prosecutor for the CPS, 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.”

       Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce, of Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “The sentencing of Antony James for these horrendous crimes follows a full and thorough investigation by the force.

       “He was immediately suspended when information came to light and was dismissed at the earliest opportunity.

       “We hope that seeing him prosecuted and sentenced, regardless of his position, sends a clear message that we will not tolerate such abuse and harmful attitudes within our service.

       “Maintaining the highest standards of integrity remains a priority and any wrongdoing or unacceptable behaviour will be subject to thorough investigation.”