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Shamed police officer Ian Naude has today been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

The 30-year-old - who joined Cheshire Police in April, 2017 and was based at Crewe Police Station - was also found guilty of four counts of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and one count of arranging the commission of a child sex offence in relation to five other complainants who were aged between 12 and 15.

The verdicts were handed down by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court today.

The rapist had already admitted 30 other offences, including inciting children to engage in sexual activity, causing children to watch sexual acts and misconduct in public office.

The case was adjourned until December 13 for a pre-sentence report to assess how 'dangerous' Naude is.

Recorder of Liverpool Judge Clement Goldstone QC told him: "You must prepare for a very significant sentence indeed."

During his trial Naude - who lives in Market Drayton - was described as a 'prolific internet groomer'.

The rape happened three days after the PC was called to a domestic incident in October 2017 where he took down the details of a 13-year-old girl who lived at the address.

He picked the girl up three days later, took her to a quiet spot in his car, and raped her - and recorded some of the sex attack on his phone.

The court heard Naude always claimed that their sex was consensual.

Prosecutor Owen Edwards told the jury: "She had been groomed by a police officer who was experienced in the art of manipulating, pressurising and even blackmailing young girls into performing sexual acts for his perverted pleasure."

The girl's family called in police to report the rape - and officers discovered this was the 'tip of the iceberg' of Naude's offending.

Mr Edwards added: "Naude is a committed paedophile who had been targeting young girls on the internet for a considerable period.

"Shockingly it emerged that he had joined the police with the intention of exploiting the access he would gain to vulnerable young girls.

"In essence, he was hoping to gain the keys to a sweet shop."

The court was told the father-of-one would gain the trust of young girls by posing on social media as a 15-year-old boy called Jake Green.

He also had an account under the name of Bruce Ian Wayne, an apparent reference to superhero Batman, and a Snapchat account named King Of The North.

He would persuade his victims to undress and sometimes perform sexual acts on camera before sending them pictures and video of himself masturbating, the court heard.

In some cases he then threatened to send the photos on to other people on their Facebook friends list and on one occasion told a victim he would harass her friends, including one who self-harmed, unless she sent him photos.

The court heard that after the rape was reported Naude was accidentally copied into a police email revealing the plan to arrest him.

When his phone was seized 756 images had been deleted from it.

Other devices, including a laptop and another phone, were later discovered in a field in Market Drayton after he gave a hand-drawn map of their location to his cellmate.

Naude had served in Afghanistan as a machine gunner with the Royal Irish Regiment.

Summing up the case, Judge Goldstone told the jury: "The defence concede that this is a case which has fairly depicted the defendant as a cold, uncaring, selfish and cruel paedophile who has on occasion stooped as low as coercive and threatening behaviour, including blackmail of young girls, some of whom have been properly characterised as vulnerable."

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