Antony James has been jailed for 21 years
A former Team GB Olympic swimmer, who raped two teenage girls, had a ‘Shakespearean fall from grace’, a court heard as he was jailed for more than 20 years.
Antony James, 35, who competed in the 100-metre butterfly at London 2012 and won a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, groomed both victims while they were under the age of 16.
Plymouth Crown Court heard on Wednesday that James was a student officer with Devon and Cornwall Police at the time of his arrest.
James got the two teenagers to send him sexually explicit images and videos and raped both victims, who cannot be named for legal reasons, in offences spanning over a decade between 2012 and 2022.
The court heard that he raped his first victim in the kitchen of her own home and his second victim in a car.
James, of Fort Terrace, Plymouth, was involved with his first victim between 2012 and 2016, the court heard. Prosecutor Lee Brembridge told the court that she said he “made her feel loved and flattered”.
James would touch and stroke her neck and follow up with messages as part of his grooming, the court heard.
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”, which he called “self-love,” Mr Brembridge said.
James 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.”
The rapes happened when both girls turned 16, Devon and Cornwall Police said.
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 (CPS) said. He had also previously admitted to six counts of making indecent photographs of a child in April last year.
Michael Brown, defending, said James was “not a normal defendant” because of his previous high social standing.
He told the court: “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.”
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.”
