A FORMER recruitment agency boss with a sexual "fetish" is today in jail awaiting sentence after a jury convicted him of raping a sleeping woman.

Mark Alan Smith, 27, took photos of himself next to the woman's naked body without her being aware, Richard Woolfall prosecuting told York Crown Court.

After she found out about the photos, she went to the police.

In a prepared statement to detectives, he accused her of lying for commercial reasons connected to his agency, the barrister said.

Giving evidence, Smith alleged to the jury that the agency had earned £45,000 a week on one contract, a figure disputed by the prosecution.

He denied any sexual impropriety.

After 11 hours and 30 minutes in retirement, the jury convicted him of one charge of sexual assault and three of rape. He denied the charges.

Ex-company director Smith, whose previous address include Bishopthorpe, Lincoln Street off Leeman Road, and Tang Hall, hid his face as the jury foreman gave the guilty verdicts. He was remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month.

His business, Zeeks Recruitment Ltd, which was founded in November 2012, went into voluntary liquidation in February 2015.

The jury heard that at the time of the offences, Smith saw his GP who noted that he had told her he had a "fetish" and "increased sex drive" that he wanted help with.

Smith alleged that he had misunderstood what the term "fetish" meant and denied telling the doctor he had had sex with a woman without her being aware of it.

The jury heard he had been a door-to-door salesman, offering karate membership and had also done cold calling business to business telephone sales in seven years in sales before setting up the recruitment agency.

He denied prosecution suggestions that he had used his salesman techniques to try and persuade the woman that he had behaved properly towards her.

He stood trial on four charges of rape and five of sexual assault, all of which he denied, and was acquitted of one charge of rape and four of sexual assault.