A 46-year-old Lowestoft man has been found guilty of three counts of raping a teenage girl.

Stephen Waters, of Princes Road, Lowestoft, had been on trial at Ipswich Crown Court and was today (June 13) found guilty of three counts of rape.

The allegations came to light when a young woman contacted South Wales Police in March 2015 saying she had been raped by a man on three occasions several years earlier.

The incidents happened in Lowestoft and the details were passed to Suffolk Police's Operation Gemini team, based in the town, to investigate.

Following basic enquiries, Waters was arrested the same day the incident was reported to the Suffolk team.

He gave a 'no comment' interview but officers secured messages he had exchanged with the young woman, which made it clear he knew what he had done was wrong.

The young woman described how she had initially tried to fight him off and had frozen during the attacks.

Officer in the case DC Darren Winchester said: 'The young woman has been extremely courageous in reporting what happened to her and her account and evidence we secured during the investigation has today led to a jury finding Waters guilty of three counts of rape.

'We would like to thank her for her bravery and integrity during the course of the investigation, and would also like to thank South Wales Police who assisted us with bringing Waters to justice.

'This shows again that we can put offenders before the courts many years after sexual abuse has occurred. Even if you don't wish to proceed to court, help and support is available and we'd encourage anyone who may have been a victim to get in touch with police or other agencies who can assist.'

Waters will now be sentenced week commencing July 11.