Jurors told of abuse over a number of years

George Prior, then known as Fred Smith, was found guilty on Friday of 16 counts of raping a female under 16, one charge of indecent assault and an attempted serious sexual assault.

The incidents occurred between 1974 and 1991. During two weeks of evidence at Oxford Crown Court, jurors heard four women say Prior, of The Leys, Faringdon, regularly abused them over a number of years.

One woman, who was aged between 11 and 14 at the time, said she was raped “about once a week, sometimes more” and that “it happened so many times it was difficult to distinguish between them”.

Another woman, then aged between seven and 11, said she was “abused about three times a week for three or four years — it was routine”. She also said she was raped by the defendant’s friend.

A third woman, then aged between five and eight, said she was raped by the defendant and two of his friends and the abuse “continued every week”.

The final complainant said she was raped “loads of times” between the ages of five and eight.

Jurors unanimously convicted the 65-year-old on all counts and he was remanded in custody to be sentenced next month.