The girl went missing from her care home for several days in 2024
Birmingham Crown Court(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
One man has been convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl who had run away from a care home but a second man has been cleared.
Following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court Toray Douglas, aged 38, of Blakeland Street, Bordesley Green, was found guilty of one count of rape and one count of assault by penetration but was found not guilty of three further charges of rape.
Co-defendant Daniel Wolfe, aged, 21, from Aston, was found not guilty of three counts of rape and was therefore acquitted.
READ MORE: Teen accused of murdering 12-year-old Leo Ross back in court
The victim in the case went missing from her care home for a few days last year.
Prosecutor Jonathan Barker, opening the case at the beginning of this month, said: “Ultimately, the police found her. They found her in Mr Douglas’s bed in a room on Blakeland Street in Birmingham.
“She was wearing a man’s T-shirt and nothing else. She, when questioned, initially denied having had any sexual contact with Mr Douglas except to say they had kissed.
“Later that day, after she had been restored to her care home, she found herself in conversation with her care worker and she confided in her care worker.”
The trial heard that the girl met Douglas, nicknamed ‘Shotty’, and another friend of his near Birmingham Children’s Hospital after she had run away.
Mr Barker continued: “They spent time together and she was provided with alcohol.
“During the daytime, Shotty tried it on with her. She described being down an alleyway and effectively him touching her up.
“At some point, the second male (Douglas’s other friend) went home.
“Shotty knew her age. He knew she was 15 and he knew she was in care.”
It was said Mr Wolfe picked them up and took them back to his home where it was alleged he raped her but the jury found him not guilty.
Mr Wolfe’s defence was that no sexual activity took place between them and the girl was never in his room.
The girl ended up at Douglas’s address the following day.
After being arrested, he denied having sex with her, only for scientific evidence to contradict his account.
Douglas then accepted he had sexual activity with the girl, but claimed it was consensual and that he thought the girl was 17.
The jury determined he had raped her and assaulted her by penetration.
Douglas was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on April 29.