Serial rapist found guilty of catalogue of offences spanning over 20 years
A prolific sex offender, whose abuse spanned more than 20 years, has been found guilty of a catalogue of offences against young children.
Christopher Manning (pictured), 38, committed his first offence in his mid-teens, and as well as committing multiple rapes and sexual assaults against boys and girls, was also found to have asked online contacts to send him videos of them abusing children as young as seven, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
Manning was found guilty on Friday of 21 separate offences after an 11-day trial at Lincoln Crown Court, including six counts of rape and three of making indecent images of children.
The trial heard how he asked underage girls to send indecent images on social media, stated that he was “into” young children, and used eight different virtual private networks (VPNs) in an attempt to conceal his offending before being arrested by NCA officers last February.
David Levett, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said: “Christopher Manning is a dangerous sexual offender who committed grave abuse against children over more than two decades and was targeting young girls online right up to the point of his arrest.
“Manning’s crimes left his innocent victims physically and emotionally traumatised, yet many of them bravely gave evidence during his trial. Their voices have been heard and they have helped to secure his conviction.
“The NCA works tirelessly to identify dangerous criminals like Manning, who pose the most serious risk to the UK public, and ensure they are brought to account.”
Manning, of Dalton Close, Grantham, will be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court on March 16.
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