A 58-year-old west Suffolk man accused of raping a schoolgirl will be sentenced in September after being convicted by a jury.

Before Ipswich Crown Court on Thursday was Christopher Whittleton of Highwood Road, Gazeley, west Suffolk.

He had denied two offences of sexual intercourse with a child and two alternative charges of rape of a child dating back more than two decades.

Whittleton also denied two further charges of rape.

He was found not guilty of the two offences of sexual intercourse with a child and guilty of the two alternative charges of rape.

He was also found guilty of the other two offences of rape.

Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley adjourned sentence until September 12.

Giving evidence during his trial, Whittleton who was arrested and interviewed by police about the allegations in 2018 denied being a paedophile and said there was no truth in the allegations, which he described as “disgusting”.

He said he couldn’t think of any reason why the victim would tell lies about him and said she had accepted lifts from him and had been alone in a car with him since the offences took place.