A TEACHER'S career was in tatters last night after he was convicted of sexually assaulting two youngsters.

 

Craig Walker, 41, had earlier pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual activity with a 15-year-old pupil.

And yesterday afternoon he was found guilty by a jury of sexually assaulting another young man over a seven-year-period.

He now faces a lengthy prison term when he returns to the dock next month to learn his fate.

Walker, who is currently suspended from his job as a maths teacher at St Andrew's Academy, in Paisley, Renfrewshire, was convicted following a trial at the town's sheriff court.

A jury took just over two hours to find him guilty by majority of repeatedly performing sex acts on a young man between 2006 and 2012.

The court heard he preyed on the youngster, who was aged between 17 and 24 and can't be named for legal reasons, after getting him drunk.

A year after the assaults on the man stopped he moved onto a new victim.

He met the then 14-year-old, who also can't be named for legal reasons, at the school where he worked and began tutoring him outside of school hours.

He started grooming the boy, taking him for drives in his car.

Then one weekend last May Walker invited the boy over to his home in Paisley and got him drunk.

He always admitted he had broken the law by engaging in a sexual relationship with the youngster as he was only 15 and was under the legal age of consent.

But he denied sexually assaulting the other young man and went on trial over the claims.

He lodged a special defence of consent, claiming his alleged victim was a willing participant in what went on.

"But yesterday the jury rejected his claims and found him guilty of two charges of sexually assaulting the man - one between 2006 and 2010 and one between 2010 and 2012.

He met the man, who is now 26, while working as a befriender with the social work department.

The verdict came after Walker's own lawyer said he found his client's conduct abhorrent.

Sheriff Seith Ireland placed Walker on the Sex Offenders' Register, deferred sentence on him until next month and released him on bail.