April 11, 2022 1.09 pm This story is over 23 months old

Alleged Grantham child rapist denies all charges

He’ll stand trial next year

Lincoln Crown Court. | Photo: Kurnia Aerial Photography

A Grantham man who faces three charges of rape will go on trial at Lincoln Crown Court in January.

Christopher Manning, 37, is also accused of other sexual assaults and possession of indecent images of children.

A pre-trial hearing at Lincoln Crown Court was today (Monday) told Mr Manning denies all the allegations against him.

Karen Walton, defending, said Mr Manning would be entering not guilty pleas to all of the charges he faced including the indecent images offences.

Mr Manning is alleged to have raped a young boy between May 2004 and January 2010.

A second rape charge relates to a boy aged 13 between January 2010 and January 2013.

A third charge accuses Mr Manning of raping a boy aged under 16 between April 1 and April 30, 2004.

Two other charges concern inciting a boy aged under 13 to engage in sexual activity and sexual assault on a boy of 13, both also in Grantham.

Mr Manning, of Dalton Close, Grantham, spoke only to confirm his name during the pre-trial hearing.

Judge Simon Hirst adjourned the case for a provisional trial date at Lincoln Crown Court on January 3 next year.

The trial is expected to last two weeks.

Mr Manning was charged and appeared before Lincoln Magistrates’ Court in February where he also pleaded not guilty to two further charges regarding possession of indecent images with intention to distribute them or show them to others.

One charge allegedly relates to two images of category A – the most serious – and the other is for one category C image.

Mr Manning was remanded back into custody and will next appear at Lincoln Crown Court for a further pre-trial hearing on May 12.