June 2018 Man, 49, found guilty of raping girl weeks before her 13th birthday A 49-year-old man been found guilty of raping a girl weeks before her 13th birthday. Gary Smith, known as Tommy, encouraged the girl to send him indecent pictures of herself and bought her gifts in an attempt to buy her silence, police said. Smith denied abusing his young victim but was found guilty following a trial which concluded at Leicester Crown Court today. Leicestershire Police released details of the case this evening. The force said Smith, of Imperial Avenue, Braunstone, Leicester, was found guilty of two counts of raping a child under 13. Detective Constable Jim Muzzell, the investigating officer, said: “This was a horrific ordeal that took place when the victim was just 12 years old. “Smith took advantage of her and manipulated situations where he knew they would be alone to try and ensure that he wouldn’t be caught. “He also encouraged her to send indecent images and bought his victim presents in a bid to stop her from telling anyone about the abuse she’d been suffering.” Smith will be sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday, July 4