A balding paedophile’s victim cried into his mother’s shoulder as his abuser was convicted of 14 charges.

The man, who is now in his 20s and cannot be identified for legal reasons, was still a boy when he was subjected to repeated abuse by Martin Holmes in a south Oxfordshire village.

The 36-year-old defendant, who flatly denied that any of the allegations were true, shifted his weight from foot-to-foot as he heard the jury foreman repeat the word ‘guilty’ 13 times at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday.

Muffled cries could be heard from the victim and his supporters, sat in the public gallery, as the verdicts were read out.

After confirming that they were yet to reach unanimous verdicts on the remaining charge, attempting to incite sexual activity with a child, the jury returned to their deliberations.

When they returned an hour later, it was to a courtroom empty of everyone except the lawyers and the judge. The foreman confirmed the jury had found him guilty on the remaining count by a majority of 10 jurors to two.

Judge Michael Gledhill QC remanded Holmes into custody to be sentenced on May 6. He ordered pre-sentence reports.

During the trial, the jury heard that Holmes was around 20 when he subjected his victim to the appalling sexual abuse.

Closing her case, prosecutor Laura Blackband said the victim was ‘singled out’ and groomed by Holmes.

The defendant was accused of ‘experimenting’ and using the boy as a ‘sexual outlet’.

Ms Blackband said: “What the Crown say is that this abuse happened there can be no doubt about it.

“There can be no doubt that you, having watched the video recorded interview the victim gave [to the police] and having seen him cross-examined there can be no doubt this is a man who has in effect been broken by this.

“Albeit a physical man in his 20s, he almost presents as a child. In many respects that may well be because he’s stuck as a child.”

Turning to Holmes, who during her speech sat in the dock wearing thick spectacles and a sci-fi themed jumper, Ms Blackband said: “Although Martin Holmes may have had learning difficulties, may have been vulnerable himself, what he did have was the body of a 20-year-old. This was a 20-year-old man.”

Holmes, now of Bluebell Avenue, Peterborough, denied any of the abuse had taken place.

He was found guilty of four counts of sexual assault of a child under-13, two counts of sexual assault of a child under-13 by penetration, six counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of attempted sexual activity with a child.

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