Cafe owner guilty of sexually abusing teen boy

Andrew Mackenzie denied the charges, but has been found guilty by a jury

A cafe owner has been found guilty of sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Andrew Mackenzie, 55, closed his eyes as the jury returned a guilty verdict on four counts of sexual activity with a child on two separate occasions in May 2021.

Mackenzie met the 14-year-old when he came into his Cardiff cafe, Coffee & Cakes, and offered him money to perform sex acts on him as he knew his victim needed money for a new iPhone.

Judge Shomon Khan remanded Mackenzie in custody ahead of his sentencing on 14 June and told him he faced a "lengthy prison sentence".

He said it was a case involving grooming, describing it as "sordid and deeply unpleasant".

Despite police forensic tests finding semen belonging to Mackenzie and his victim on a duvet in his bedroom, he insisted the boy's could have got there after being brought in a cup.

The boy told the court he went into an annex behind Mackenzie cafe twice where there were "lots of cameras and a tripod" in the bedroom.

He was later told Mackenzie was "bragging that he has a video of me in the shower".

Mackenzie kissed him and performed sex acts on him in the annex before handing him £40 in coins and £60 in bank notes.

Mackenzie asked the boy to record a film on his phone saying his name and giving his age as 18, but "he knew I was 14".

The teen said he agreed to go to the extension for a second time on 30 May 2021 because he thought Mackenzie would give him "a lot of money" and told him he would buy him a new phone "if I see him three times".

Mackenzie always denied the charges and told the court: "I didn’t think he was 100% 18.

"I had a little niggling feeling."

Judge Khan said Mackenzie had "no relevant convictions but a terrible record".

Jurors were told he had been a criminal since he was 18 with convictions for fraud, forgery, and growing and supplying cannabis.