Just months ago, Welshpool swimmer Tom Piggott was aiming for a place at the Tokyo Paralympic games.

Today, as the event's sister contest the Olympic Games gets under way in Japan amidst a blaze of fireworks and sporting glory, Piggott finds himself disgraced, and facing a hefty prison sentence after being found guilty of child rape.

Piggott, of Maesowen, Welshpool, was convicted of two counts of raping a child, three counts of sexual assault on a child, two counts of inciting a child to take part in a sexual act, and three counts of making indecent images of children following a harrowing trial at Mold Crown Court this week.

The court heard how he groomed children while helping on his father's window cleaning rounds in Welshpool, and took one pre-teenager into the woods in Welshpool and raped her.

The 21-year-old former Oswestry Otters swimmer, who was considered a high-achieving para-athlete, spent three years grooming his victims between March 2017 and August 2020, until the mother of one of the youngsters he exploited found messages from Piggott on their phone.

After the jury took less than an hour to decide he was guilty, he was sent back to HMP Berwyn on remand by Judge Niclas Parry at Mold Crown Court to reappear for sentencing on September 13.

Piggott showed little emotion as the jury read out the verdicts to the 10 charges against him.

After the jury had returned guilty verdicts on all ten counts, Judge Niclas Parry said: "What has been clear is that you are an extremely intelligent young man – you are also an extremely dangerous young man. A sexual predator.

"My thanks go to the members of the jury for your diligence. We don't get to pick and choose the cases we deal with here – this has been a very unpleasant case and we could not have asked any more of you. I hope you can put this experience behind you."

Ffion Thomas, prosecuting, had earlier told the court how, over multiple visits in between March and August 2020, Piggott had inappropriately touched a young victim in his bedroom, before messaging them on WhatsApp to say it was "our secret".

Video testimony from one of the victims told how Piggott had repeatedly touched them in "private areas" while playing computer games in their room, and that they had told him to stop because it had "made them feel weird".

During a defence which amounted to little more than outright denial in the face of overwhelming evidence, Piggott claimed that he had touched the youngster accidentally during a "side-on hug".

The victim's mother had later discovered the WhatsApp messages on the child's phone as well as evidence of other deleted messages, before alerting the authorities who subsequently seized his mobile phone and laptop – and forensic analysis of his devices led to further charges.

Police experts discovered a series of messages between Piggott’s account and two other victims across the three-year period, including a discussion about a threesome with one victim and her friend. The sickening messages also asked whether she wanted him to take her virginity.

The court heard from one victim who said that she had added Piggott – then aged 17 – to her Facebook when she was not yet a teenager, thinking that she knew him through a school friend.

She told the court they had then exchanged messages and photos including naked body parts, and that the defendant was aware of her age at the time of messaging.

The court then heard how he had taken her to a secluded spot in nearby woods, where he raped her.

He then sent her messages saying how it had been "fun", and that they should "do it again sometime".

In a statement to police, the victim said she was scared to tell anyone about the incidents and that she had attempted to find ways to avoid Piggott.

When analysing his phone, police found an app called Private Screenshot that contained screengrabs of indecent pictures, including ones sent to him by another victim, which led to his a conviction of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Police also found browser searches about the sex offenders register and around attraction to young girls, as well as numerous searches for pornography, and one about the prevention of child sexual abuse.

Piggott denied sending the messages, claimed he was "hacked" and had been victim of a malware attack on his phone and laptop.

But today a jury – who heard from a computer forensics expert who said there was no malware on the devices – has thrown out those claims.

And while the stars of global sport come together in the bright lights of Tokyo to do battle in one of the greatest events the world has to offer, Piggott is behind bars.

  • Anyone from the Dyfed-Powys Police area who has been affected by crimes such as these, even if they haven't reported to police, can contact the Goleudy victim and witness service.