A BATHROOM fitter who was previously convicted of sexual grooming has now
been found guilty of communicating by text with a girl aged under 16.
But Mark Rayworth was cleared of downloading indecent "pseudo-photographs" – computer-generated pictures – of children and having extreme pornography yesterday at Derby Crown Court.
When the 45-year-old, of Inglewood Avenue, Mickleover, was convicted in March 2012 of sexually grooming a 15-year-old girl, an order was imposed on him which prohibited him from making contact with any girl under 16 using an electronic device.
At yesterday's hearing, he denied all the charges but the jury found him guilty of attempting to do an act prohibited by a sexual offences prevention order between March and July 2012. They acquitted him, however, of seven other counts, all relating to the images.
Before the verdict was given, Recorder Peter Cooke told the public gallery he appreciated the "emotional" elements of the case but insisted on "silence and decorum" to allow the jury foreman to speak.
He said any breach of this would be treated as "contempt of court".
There was then silence in the courtroom as the verdicts were read out.
Afterwards, he told Rayworth he would adjourn the sentencing for around three weeks to await a pre-sentence report.
He granted Rayworth bail for that period of time.
The court had previously heard how Rayworth's defence had been that his family had "set him up" because they were disgusted with him and felt they had been abandoned.
It heard Rayworth's 20-year marriage to his wife, Catherine, broke down following the criminal investigation into the sexual grooming offence.
But both Catherine Rayworth and his daughter, Louise, told the court this was not the case.
The court was also told how a number of texts sent in 2012 from the iPhone of a girl, who was then 12, were found on a mobile phone which police said they believed belonged to Rayworth.
Jurors heard from the girl, now 14 – who gave evidence via video link at Rayworth's trial – how she could not recall the messages.
