Man cleared of rapes but faces re-trial over other sex attacks

Wayne Kelly has been cleared of the most serious charges he faced – those of rape - but the jury was unable to reach verdicts on the other sex charges.

During his trial it was alleged that he taken advantage of the teenagers and manipulated them to fulfil his sexual desires and he became their drug dealer.

The 38-year-old was convicted of supplying cannabis to one of the boys and he pleaded guilty to supplying the other two teenagers. A re-trial is to take place at Liverpool Crown Court beginning on August 15 and he was further remanded in 
custody.

He still faces three charges of sexual activity with one boy and inciting him to engage in sex – having been cleared of four charges of raping him: sexually assaulting and inciting the two other boys and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of the third boy.

Iain Simkin, prosecuting, told the jury that Kelly, who was then living in Gidlow Lane, began supplying the first victim with cannabis when he was just 13 years old and they used to smoke it together.

Kelly was alleged to have sexually abused the boy, who was high on drugs, and this allegedly happened on more than one occasion over the next two years including once in Kelly’s van.

The second victim claims he was 14 when Kelly sexually abused him including a “bizarre” request for the boy to rub packaged cannabis over his genital area to rid it of DNA or fingerprint evidence.

Mr Simkin described this as “a highly unusual and signature offence” reflected in a claim of an identical request made to the third victim by Kelly.

Kelly, of Lower St Stephen Street, Gidlow, told the jury that there was no truth in the sex allegations and claimed the boys had made them up as they had fallen out with him and his family.

His partner Amy Fairhurst, 20, of Bridgewater Street, Hindley, was earlier cleared of several sex offences after the judge instructed the jury to find her not 
guilty.