A former Olympic swimmer and student police officer convicted of raping two teenagers and sexually touching one of the girls when she was under the age of 16 has again been granted conditional bail until he is finally sentenced for his crimes.
Antony James was convicted by a jury at Plymouth Crown Court on October 16, 2024 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 was granted conditional bail while the Crown Prosecution Service deliberated whether or not to retry the 35-year-old on five counts of rape and one count of sexual activity with a child.
A few days later it was confirmed that James, of Fort Terrace, Crownhill, was not going to face a retrial and would not be subject of a sentencing hearing until 2025.
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. The jury found that he had sexually touched one of the girls when she was 15 and raped her after she turned 16. He was also found guilty of raping a victim after she had turned 16, once in the back of his car.
The jury heard prosecution describe him as a “serial liar and manipulator” who had effectively groomed each of the two girls revealing his “perverse sexual needs and desires”.
Antony James leaving Plymouth Crown Court following a previous hearing
(Image: SWNS)
Judge Robert Linford directed not guilty verdicts for three counts of intentionally encouraging/assisting an offence.
Following the jury’s verdicts, Judge Linford told James to expect a “substantial prison sentence” before granting him conditional bail. During a short hearing on Monday [October 28] he continued James’ bail and a for mention hearing was set for today [January 10, 2025]
During today’s hearing Judge Linford, sitting at Truro Crown Court, told the prosecution and defence barristers that he had expected to sentence James in November 2025 but that this had been adjourned to the New Year. When urged to adjourn the sentencing hearing to early April he made it clear that this was unacceptable and a date before the end of February had to be listed, regardless of the availability of legal representatives.
Following discussion he confirmed that the sentencing hearing will take place on either February 24, 25 or 26 and this would be confirmed in due course.
Antony James with his Commonwealth Games medals in October 2010
(Image: Lucy Duval)
He granted James – who had attended the brief hearing – further conditional bail until the dates presented. James represented Great Britain at the 2012 London Games and the Commonwealth Games in 2010 where he won a silver and bronze medal.
He served as a police constable with Devon and Cornwall Police from October 2020 and was suspended in January 2022 after initial disclosures were made. As of August 2023, he was no longer an employee of the force.
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