A MAN has been found guilty of raping a schoolgirl after "tricking" her into the back of his van.

Denis Kadena kept a straight face as he was today found guilty of two counts of rape and one sexual assault. 

It comes after a five-day trial at Southampton Crown heard that the 34-year-old drove his victim to a secluded area in Totton in September last year.

Shortly after the attack, the girl saw a friend and said: "I've just been raped. This old guy came up to me. He took me somewhere and started touching me."

Prosecuting, Simon Jones, previously told jurors: "He was a stranger to her. She was wearing, and there's no dispute, her school uniform". 

The trial heard Kadena drove the girl to a country lane and started touching the girl and stroking her thigh.

He then drove the van around the corner and asked the girl to help him with something before raping the teenager. 

After the incident, she went back to school where she told friends that she'd just been raped. 

The girl later said Kadena - who "lied and lied and lied" to police - had winked at her before stopping and offering her a lift. 

She told police "It just felt wrong".

Referring to the victim a member of staff at the girl's school said: "She was crying. She didn't want anyone around her.

"My role was to reassure her that she had done the right thing by coming back into school and seeking an adult.

"She said it was all her fault because she'd left school and got into his van."

The jury was told how Kadena had searched the internet for "Southampton kids crime" to see if his offences had been reported. 

Sham Uddim, defending, told jurors, the victim had "wanted to play truant that day" adding that he "saw a young girl waving at him."

But jurors rejected his defence and returned unanimous guilty verdicts.

Sentencing was adjourned for a pre-sentence report.

Kadena of Yorke Street, Southsea will next appear at 2pm on May 12 at the same court.