David Smith 35

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David Smith repeatedly exposed himself to one boy and seriously sexually assaulted another

A former Tory councillor has been found guilty of a string of child sex offences.

A jury has unanimously found David Smith guilty of 11 counts of inciting, or engaging in sexual activity with a child, over a decade ago. Teesside Crown Court heard harrowing evidence of the sexual abuse during the trial - the two victims were teenage boys when Smith targeted them.

One boy was groomed and repeatedly sexually assaulted by Smith over a four-year period. The court heard he has been massively affected by the abuse; his former girlfriend said it had "destroyed their relationship" and he was "traumatised" by what had happened to him.

The court heard how Smith gave the boy cash and bought him gifts; as well as taking him on trips to Edinburgh and to Liverpool. The victim said: He used to buy me all sorts - he must have spent 6,000 to 10,000 on me easy.

"It was clothes, it was drugs, I used to smoke cannabis a lot and he used buy me it. He used to buy me it every day, at least 20 a day. After I smoked it I would just go to sleep and when I woke up, he would be touching me.

Smith repeatedly exposed himself to the second victim - who was also a teenage boy at the time - before trying to persuade him to perform a sex act. The victim said he fled, telling the court: "He would flash me and as a kid I was shocked and didn't know where to put myself.

"After a month and a half, it went from flashing at me to him asking me to touch him. It got to the point where he was getting closer to me and got more insistent."

Smith, 33, of Rainsford Crescent in Middlesbrough, was remanded in custody and will be sentenced on May 16.