Olympic Swimmer Antony James Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison
British Olympic swimmer Antony James was sentenced on Wednesday to 21 years in prison for sexual abuses.
James was found guilty in October of sexual offenses involving two minors, including rape and other sexual contact with one and coercing another to send sexually explicit images. The offenses took pace from 2012-22.
Two-thirds of his sentence will be served in custody before being released on license. A sexual harm prevention order will be made for 25 years on James, and he have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
At a court in Plymouth in October, James was found guilty of three counts of rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity. He’d also previously admitted to six counts of making indecent photographs involving a child.
The Crown prosecutor on the case used the pattern of James’ crimes to portray the, “truly appalling manner” in which he exploited victims. James’ victims were allowed to give impact statements in court.
“I feel as if my formative teenage years… have been stripped from me,” one said in their statement. “I always wonder what kind of girl I would have been if I hadn’t have met you.”
James swam at the 2012 Olympics for Great Britain and won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. He had been training to be a police officer with the Devon and Cornwall Police when he was arrested in January 2022.
