A SIX-FOOT four-inch man has been convicted of rape after humiliating and assaulting his victim.

James Samuel Bloor, 21, bombarded the young woman with text messages in an attempt to get her to drop her allegation.

Mold Crown Court also heard claims that Bloor produced an imitation gun to scare her.

Bloor, who at the time lived in Coedpoeth, near Wrexham, but who later moved to Stoke-on-Trent, denied charges of assault, rape, intimidation and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. He was convicted by the jury of eight men and four women.

Judge Philip Hughes adjourned sentence but remanded a tearful Bloor in custody.

The judge told him to expect “a substantial custodial sentence”.

The court heard prosecution claims that Bloor was a Jekyll and Hyde character.

Prosecutor John Wyn Williams said following the rape in December, the victim reported the assault to a social worker and police were informed.

She complained that he grabbed her around the throat, pushed her up against a wall and was abusive to her. The victim was screaming and trying to get away but he grabbed her.

He appeared to calm down and apologised, but then demanded sex. She refused, but he then raped her.

The victim had been left a nervous wreck, the court was told.

During the police investigation, her mobile phone was seized and it emerged that Bloor had bombarded her with text messages, asking her to drop the rape allegation, which at one point she did.

Later, he saw her in Wrexham and the prosecution said he threatened her with a gun he had in his waistband. Arrested and interviewed, Bloor said they did have sex, but claimed that it was with her consent.

Re-arrested after the gun incident, he told police he had travelled to Wrexham to sell the air pistol.

At the time he was selling second hand cars and was given the gun in a part exchange deal for a ride-on mower, he said.

Bloor said the gun remained in its black case throughout and he had never produced it or placed it in his waistband. He said he did not threaten her.

In evidence to the jury, he said they had consensual sex.

He said the woman had enjoyed it, had been leading him on and he further accused her of setting him up in advance during an exchange of text messages.

Bloor said he would not have had sex with the woman if she had refused.

He said the first he knew of a rape allegation was when police officers came to his door.

He denied intimidating his victim to get her to retract her statement, and said that had been her own idea.

The air pistol had remained in his case inside his motorcycle jacket and he had not produced it or threatened anyone, he said.

Defence barrister John Hedgecoe told the jury the defence case was that the alleged rape did not take place and that his client had sex with the young woman after she agreed to it.