A FORMER press officer at Bangor City Football Club has been convicted of “revolting, wicked” acts of sexual abuse on two young children.

David Daniel Hayes was told by a judge to prepare for a “very lengthy custodial sentence” after a jury took less than three hours to unanimously convict him of 12 sexual offences, including rape, of a girl and boy who were aged 10 or under at the time they were subject to his abuse.

There was crying in the gallery as the verdicts were read after three hours of deliberation at Mold Crown Court after which the jury were told how Hayes, formerly of Buckley, had fled to Spain for 18 months in a bid to evade justice before an arrest warrant was executed.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said that Hayes’ actions had increased the stress the family of the children had been put under.

“The young children had this hanging over them for a number of years. You were trying to avoid responsibility for these frankly revolting, wicked acts on these young children,” said the judge.

The trial heard the girl told her mother about Hayes’ behaviour and forensic evidence emerged linking Hayes to his crimes. A DNA sample for semen found on the girl’s underwear matched his DNA profile.

Hayes had told police there we be no forensic evidence to link him to any of the allegations.

The boy told police that after Hayes sexually abused him he told him “not to tell anyone”.

Hayes denied the offences when he was interviewed by police.

Hayes, 40, of Bridge Street, Llanrwst entered not guilty pleas to 12 child sex offences, but he was convicted on all counts. They included sexual assault, rape and inciting a child under 13 to engage in a sexual act with all the offences alleged to have been committed between 2012 and 2015.

Judge Rowlands ordered a pre-sentence report be prepared and told Hayes: “You have been convicted on compelling evidence of the most serious offences against very young and very vulnerable children.

“You tried to escape responsibility by evading trial making it worse for their mother, the stress the family has been subject to has been made much worse.”

Hayes will be sentenced on Tuesday, March 22 at Mold Crown Court.