Netflix's Sex Education actor found guilty of raping teenagers
An actor who appeared in the Netflix show Sex Education has been found guilty by a British court of 26 sex offences, including against two students he gave acting classes to and children.
Warning: This story contains references to child sexual assault.
Prosecutors described Alexander Westwood as "manipulative and predatory" who held a fascination with pornography from a young age, the BBC reports.
He denied 26 offences, including sexually assaulting a child over an eight-year period.
Jurors at Wolverhampton Crown Court in central England were told two teenage girls who approached him for help with acting were systematically abused by him.
The UK actor used his fame to abuse the two 16 year olds, prosecutors said.
From November 2020 to September 2021, Westwood raped and sexually assaulted the pupil going to drama school as well as inciting her to engage in sexual activity.
He told her not to tell anyone, and when she discussed ceasing the acting lessons, he introduced a contract, which stipulated she owed him up to £36,000 ($72,000) if she broke it.
Westwood's abuse of the second teenager occurred between May and August 2021.
Prosecutors described how he showed her a script from a scene in Greek mythology and persuaded her to strip naked.
He touched her breast and vaginal area.
The court heard Westwood's repeated sexual assault of a child between 2010 and 2018 was described as an "extraordinary catalogue of abuse that happened hundreds of times."
The actor was also convicted of inciting another child, a boy aged between nine and 10, to take part in sexual activity.
Westwood will be sentenced next February,
