Ian Naude: Cheshire PC convicted of raping 13-year-old girl

A policeman described as a "committed paedophile" has been convicted of raping a 13-year-old girl.

PC Ian Naude, 30, joined Cheshire Constabulary "to gain the keys to a sweetshop" through access to potential victims, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

The rape, which took place in his car, was filmed on his mobile phone. Footage of the attack was played to the jury.

It has emerged Naude was already being investigated for sex offences when he became a student officer in April 2017.

Naude, of Market Drayton in Shropshire, was also found guilty of four charges of attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence and one charge of arranging a child sex offence, relating to five complainants aged between 12 and 15.

The father of one, originally from South Africa, previously admitted 31 offences relating to grooming underage girls via a fake Facebook and Snapchat profile.

Cheshire Constabulary said Naude had passed the vetting process in October 2016 but that allegations of sex offences being investigated by two neighbouring forces in early 2017 did not get picked up.

During his two-week trial, Naude denied rape and sexual assault as he claimed the sex with the 13-year-old girl was consensual and that she "seemed to be enjoying it".

The court was told he met the girl after he was called to her house over a domestic incident in October 2017.

After looking her up on Facebook and exchanging sexual messages and photos, he returned to her home three days later.

He picked her up while her mother was out and drove her to a country lane where he attacked her.

Naude deleted more than 750 photos from his phone after an "administrative error" meant he had been copied into emails relating to the police investigation into his conduct.

He also concealed other devices including a second phone and a laptop in a field in Market Drayton.

Cheshire Constabulary said this had "frustrated" and "set back" the investigation.

Texts sent by Naude revealed a pattern, always starting conversations with "Hi, you look pretty and interesting", before quickly demanding nude images and threatening to expose girls to their friends if they refused.

Cheshire Police's Det Ch Supt Aaron Duggan said Naude "joined police intentionally to commit this type of offending.

"We know from our investigation that he's a sexual predator, a groomer and he's also a chancer."

Acting Chief Constable Janette McCormick said she believed Naude had been working alone but it would be "naive" to think there were not other offenders within Cheshire Police.

She has also said the force is now investigating other potential offences by Naude.

Judge Clement Goldstone warned Naude he faced a "very significant sentence" and that even his defence conceded he had been "fairly depicted... as a cold, uncaring, selfish and cruel paedophile".

An NSPCC spokesperson said it was "evil" of Naude to "shamelessly label it [the rape] consensual".

Naude will be sentenced on 13 December.