A tech multi-millionaire has been found guilty of the historic rape and drugging of two women.
The offences occurred 30 years ago when Lawrence Jones worked as a piano player in pubs and clubs in Manchester.
He was accused of raping the two women in the 1990s and denied all wrongdoing. Today (November 23), Jones was found guilty of two counts of rape.
After his conviction, it was revealed the 55-year-old had already been behind bars for 10 months after he was convicted of sexually assaulting an ex-employee. He invited the heavily intoxicated woman into his adjoining hotel room during a business trip to London in 2012.
The muti-millionaire founded the Hulme based tech firm UK Fast and worked alongside his wife Gail. Their two daughters sobbed in court as the three-week trial concluded, his wife covered her mouth with her hand.
Jurors were unanimous in their decision to find him guilty of two counts of rape – they were unaware of his previous sexual assault conviction. Jones was awarded an MBE in 2015 and was once dubbed one of the UK’s nicest bosses.
His sentencing hearing is scheduled for Friday, December 1.
According to the MEN, Manchester Crown Court previously heard how Jones, then in his 20s, called one woman a ‘pr*** tease’ before pouncing on her after he had given her a glass of red wine and they had shared a joint of marijuana. He then told the woman: “So do I have to teach you a lesson (or) are you just gonna let me f*** you.”
Jones, from Hale Barns, went on to rape another woman in his flat after telling her she was ‘gorgeous’ before telling her to sniff from a medicine bottle containing clear liquid. The woman said she felt ‘helpless’ before Jones climbed on top of her.
Prosecutor Eloise Marshall KC said Jones ‘used drugs to facilitate’ the rapes. The prosecutor said: “The manner in which the drugs were administered in each case differs, but the effects were the same – both women were stupefied and left partially conscious but unable to react.”
Neither woman knows ‘how the drugs were administered’. Giving evidence in court, Jones denied the offences, repeatedly saying: “It never happened, it never happened.” Jones denied ever meeting Woman A and claimed that himself and Woman B had previously had sex a ‘couple of times’.
Isla Chilton, senior district crown prosecutor for CPS North West’s rape and serious sexual offence unit, said: “Jones raped two women with no thought for how his actions would affect them. By denying the offences, he compounded the harm to the women, attempting to evade responsibility for his actions. The jury saw through his lies and found him guilty.
“I would like to thank the victims for supporting this prosecution and I hope this case will encourage others to seek justice. It’s never too late.”
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