Paedophile Cheshire police officer guilty of raping 13-year-old girl

A paedophile police officer has been found guilty of raping and sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.

Ian Naude, who was working as a student officer for Cheshire Police at the time of the assault in October 2017, joined Cheshire Constabulary “to gain the keys to a sweetshop” through access to potential victims, Liverpool Crown Court heard.

Naude, who used social media accounts named after Batman protagonist Bruce Wayne – as well as posing as a 15-year-old boy, met his victim following a domestic incident at her home.

Days later he messaged her on Facebook and began exchanging messages and images with the girl, before he took her out in his car and raped her.

During the trial the court heard Naude was obsessed with taking the virginity of teenage girls.

On Thursday, a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found him guilty of rape and sexual assault, 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 30-year-old Afghanistan veteran started working for the police in April 2017, despite being named as a suspect in a child grooming case by a neighbouring force in the months leading up to his appointment, it has emerged.

Naude, was warned by Recorder of Liverpool Judge Clement Goldstone QC he faces a “very significant sentence indeed”.

Judge Goldstone said: “This is a case which has fairly depicted the defendant as a cold, uncaring, selfish and cruel paedophile who has on occasion stooped as low as coercive and threatening behaviour, including blackmail of young girls, some of whom have been properly characterised as vulnerable.”

Naude admitted having sex with his victim, who he initially met while on duty, but claimed the 13-year-old consented.

He also admitted two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child, 14 counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of taking indecent photos of a child, four counts of making indecent photos of a child, six counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, two counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of possessing indecent photos of a child.

He denied he attempted to arrange to commit child sex offences.

He persuaded victims to undress and perform sex acts on camera before he sent pictures and video of himself masturbating, the court heard.

After the rape was reported Naude was accidentally copied into a police email revealing the plan to arrest him, it has emerged.

When his phone was seized 756 images had been deleted from it and other devices, including a laptop and another phone, were later discovered in a field in Market Drayton, Shropshire, after he gave a hand-drawn map of their location to his cellmate.

Naude will be sentenced on December 13.