A 29-year-old man has been found guilty of rape following a four-week trial at Leicester Crown Court.
Cassius Povey had also pleaded guilty to a number of sex offences against children at an earlier hearing.
He will be sentenced for all his crimes on Thursday 24 February at the same court.
The investigation into the actions of Povey came following content of social media posts which was reported to police by members of the public.
During the investigation, further crimes were uncovered which revealed the extent of his offending against women and girls and his deliberate targeting of vulnerable children.
In his police interviews, Povey claimed that he thought all the girls were 16 or over at the time of the offences, which occurred between 2010 and 2016.
Povey, formerly of an address in Leicester, was charged with a total of 22 offences, relating to nine women who were survivors of his crimes.
Povey pleaded guilty to charges relating to the online grooming of children and to those charges relating to sexual acts with children, knowing they were under the age of consent.
He continued to deny nine charges of rape in relation to five separate victims, four who were children at the time of the offending.
Povey pleaded guilty to:
One count of cause and incite a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in penetrative sexual activity
Eight counts of engage in a penetrative sexual act with a girl aged 13 to 15
One count of engage in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15
One count of meeting a girl under 16 following grooming
Povey was found guilty, yesterday (Friday 28 January), of:
Two counts of raping a woman over the age of 16
Six counts of raping a girl aged 13, 14 or 15
He was found not guilty of one count of raping a girl aged 13, 14 or 15.
Officer in the case, Detective Constable Kevin Sharkey from the force Signal team, said: “I’m pleased with the outcome at court today, and hope that it offers some closure to the survivors of Povey’s crimes. It’s been a long investigation with the gathering of a substantial amount of evidence.
“I want to pay tribute to the strength and resilience these women have shown throughout the cases. The courage they displayed when giving evidence in court has been admirable.
“These convictions clearly show that just because something happened a number of years ago, doesn’t mean nothing can be done. I would encourage any person who has found themselves abused in this way to speak with someone and contact the police as a first step to achieving justice and to get access to support.”
Millie Gant, Manager of Juniper Lodge, Leicestershire’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) wants to encourage anyone that has experienced sexual abuse or assault to seek support.
She said: “Our dedicated and specialist staff can offer support and options available to you, whether you report to the police or not. We are non-judgemental and work with partner agencies to ensure that you are supported in a safe way that meets your individual needs.
“Every person is different and we understand that you may be apprehensive or worried about making that initial contact.
You can contact us on 0116 273 3330 or online through our website – www.juniper.lodge.com.”
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