Police praise bravery of victims after ex city councillor Rylan Ray convicted of rape and other sex offences
Police have praised the bravery of the young victims of former city councillor Rylan Ray after he was convicted of more than 20 sex offences – including rape.
Cambridgeshire Police said former city councillor Rylan Ray, 26, encouraged young people to engage in Snapchat conversations which would become sexual.
Police said there were 11 victims in the case. One victim only came forward following media coverage of the case.
Ray was elected to represent the Eye, Thorney and Newborough ward as a member of the Conservative group in 2022. He lost his seat on the council at the May 2026 as a result of not standing for re-election.
He was suspended by the Conservative Party after he was charged.
After he was convicted of the charges on Thursday (October 29), Detective Constable Gordon Logan, who investigated, said: “We would like to praise the bravery of the children involved in confiding in others what had happened to them. Doing so takes a lot of courage but it was so important that they did, because we then began investigating.
"In an increasingly digital world, mobile phones and social media mean children can be vulnerable to those who prey on their innocence.
“We encourage all members of the public to be aware of adults who pay an unusual amount of attention to a child – no matter their profession. Sharing any concerns, no matter how small, can make all the difference."
Police said that Ray used a fake persona of a teenage girl called Chelsie to extract intimate images from teenagers. He was traced to the fake account when a phone call made from one boy to Chelsie was answered by him and another fake account was linked back to his flat via the IP address.
Cambridgeshire Police said Photos of Chelsie, including the Snapchat icon, were found on his phone, together with intimate images from six victims that were only ever sent to the fake accounts.
Police were made aware in May 2025 and an investigation began, where some children disclosed that as well as the sexual messages, they had been sexually assaulted.
Ray, of Westgate, Peterborough, was arrested the same month and in police interview provided a prepared statement where he accepted that he “may have” become involved in conversations that were unwise but were not, on his part, sexually motivated, police said.
A Cambridgeshire Police spokesperson said that Ray said he was “truly shocked and disgusted” at being accused of these offences which had “ruined his career”. He then answered no comment to all questions.
The police spokesperson said that in later interviews, he accepted that he received topless images of one child and that some of the messages were sexual, but claimed he never actively encouraged this. However, he also accepted sending a photo of his genitalia to the same young boy, and also sending him pornography.
Ray was charged with a total of 25 offences and media coverage of these charges resulted in a further victim coming forward, who confided that Ray had raped him.
Before his trial began, Ray pleaded guilty to two counts of causing or inciting a boy to engage in sexual activity, and causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity.
During the trial he admitted a further two offences of making indecent images of children.
He stood trial to face the other charges at Ipswich Crown Court from 5 October, and after 24 days, jurors found him guilty of 23 further offences. The charges for which he will now be sentenced for include:
Rape a man
Engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a boy
Five counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child
Five counts of causing a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity
Three counts of sexual assault
Three counts of causing or inciting a boy to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity
One count of causing or inciting a boy aged to engage in penetrative sexual activity
Three counts of making indecent photos of a child
One count of possess an extreme pornographic image portraying rape
He will be sentenced at the same court on 8 January.
For support if you have been affected by the case, contact
NSPCC Helpline: Call 0808 800 5000 or email [email protected]
Childline: Call 0800 1111
Rape Crisis England & Wales: Call 0808 500 2222 or visit http://rapecrisis.org.uk
Cambridgeshire Police: Report non-emergency safeguarding concerns online or call 101 (always call 999 in an emergency)