Rapist guilty of 1995 attack on boy in Bedford

James Devlin attacked the 15-year-old after first approaching him at a bus stop, Luton Crown Court heard

A sex offender serving a life sentence has been convicted of raping a schoolboy more than 23 years ago.

James Devlin attacked the 15-year-old after first approaching him at a bus stop in Shortstown, near Bedford, in October 1995, Luton Crown Court heard.

Devlin, now 55, asked the boy if he would help him get his car started before pulling him into bushes and raping him.

The case was adjourned to 20 March for sentencing.

'Found him crying'

After the attack, the victim ran on to Cardington Road and flagged down a car with an elderly couple inside. They drove him to a friend's house.

The friend's mother said: "I found him crying outside the door.

"He said a man raped him and really hurt him."

Last year, the police were led to Devlin after a DNA match was made. It was so strong, it could only have come from a handful of men in the UK.

At time of his arrest, Devlin was serving a life sentence for a similar rape of a boy in Northampton in 1996.

He was released from that sentence in 2004 but recalled to prison in 2006.

Devlin claimed there had been a mistake in the scientific evidence.

He shook his head in the dock as the jury found him guilty of rape.

Judge Barbara Mensah said: "He has not made a full and frank confession.

"It is going to be a very long sentence - double figures or life. I am concerned about the risk he poses."