An Olympic swimmer who represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Games has been convicted of raping two teenage girls.

       Antony James, 34, was found guilty of 14 sexual offences at Plymouth crown court.

       James, who was working as a trainee police officer with Devon and Cornwall Police when arrested, “manipulated and controlled his teenage victims to fulfil his own sexual desires” over a 10-year period, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

       Advertisement

       He was convicted on three counts of rape, three of sexual activity with a child, and two of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He had previously pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent photographs of a child.

       The jury could not reach a verdict on one count of sexual activity with a child, and five counts of rape. He was found not guilty of three counts of intentionally encouraging/assisting an offence.

       The CPS has been given seven days to decide whether to seek a retrial.

       Gemma Kneebone, the senior crown prosecutor for CPS South West, said James had claimed that his young victims were over 16 at the time, “but this was a lie which collapsed under scrutiny”.

       She said: “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 court heard that James’s offending occurred between 2012 and 2022.

       At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he finished 31st in the men’s 100-metre butterfly.

       He has been released on bail until his sentencing at a later date.