Crewe paedophile found guilty of sex assault on school girl (From Warrington Guardian)

Crewe paedophile found guilty of sex assault on school girl

A CONVICTED rapist from Crewe was found guilty of indecently assaulting a schoolgirl after luring her from a swimming baths.

James Christopher Shiner, 39, of Stoneley Avenue, was found guilty by a jury at Chester Crown Court of indecently assaulting a 14-year-old girl in August.

Married Shiner, who was already on the sex offenders' register for life, denied the offence and made his young victim relive the ordeal in court as she was cross-examined via a video link.

The court heard how he was a regular at the Flag Lane baths and started conversations with girls and women of all ages.

On this occasion last summer, Shiner approached the girl on the balcony of the swimming pool as she watched her friends swim and offered her a cigarette outside.

Once outside, Shiner lied to her that he was a scout for a modelling agency his solicitor friend ran and paid her compliments about her appearance.

She became 'scared and intimidated' by him and decided to leave, but as she tried to get up to go he grabbed her and subjected her to a 10-minute sexual attack.

She eventually broke free by punching him on the nose and kicking him in the groin, and ran back inside the baths to find her friends.

Once reunited with her friends she cried uncontrollably but Shiner could offer no explanation when asked by prosecuting barrister Simon Medland why a girl he claimed he had only offered a cigarette to behaved so hysterically.

Shiner claimed the girl had invented the incident and denied touching her in any way and said she had made up the modelling agency claims.

Pool staff gave evidence they had seen Shiner talking to the girl inside and outside the baths and a pool attendant Steven Houchin said he had seen him place his hand on the girl's inner thigh.

Shiner denied all these claims, but the jury returned a swift guilty verdict after retiring for just over two hours.

Shiner was remanded at Altcourse Prison in Liverpool before he is sentenced at Mold Crown Court on January 30.