British Olympic Swimmer Antony James Convicted of Rape
British Olympic swimmer Antony James was found guilty of rape and sexual activity with minors by a jury in England this week.
The 34-year-old has been on trial for four weeks on 18 counts of alleged abuse, occurring with three females from 2012-22. The case in the Plymouth Crown Court went to the jury last Friday, and they returned a verdict on Tuesday.
James was found guilty on three counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of rape of the same individual over the age of 16. He was also found guilty of two counts of “causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity” with another individual and two counts of rape with a third victory – a total of eight counts in all. Judge Robert Linford said in court that he expects a “substantial prison sentence” for James.
The prosecution portrayed James as a “serial liar and manipulator” who gained the trust of young girls to exploit them, either by physically touching them or by coercing to send him sexually explicit images.
The jury found James not guilty on two counts of controlling or coercive behavior and two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act. It was unable to agree a verdict on six counts, including five counts of rape. The Crown Prosecution Service has been granted seven days to explore the possibility of retrial on the outstanding counts.
The judged granted James conditional bail until a sentencing hearing.
James was charged in Sept. 2023. The sprinter represented Great Britain in the men’s 100 butterfly at the 2012 Olympics in London. He swam at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, where he won silver in the 100 fly and 400 medley relay bronze for England. He also took part in the 2011 World Championships and several editions of the European Championships. His career continued through an unsuccessful bid at British Olympic Trials in 2016 to reach the Rio Games.
James was employed a student police officer with the Devon and Cornwall police, from which he was dismissed when he was arrested in Jan. 2022.