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A paedophile who lured an autistic teenager he met online to his Jersey flat where he kept her for 17 days and raped her – and impersonated a police officer to speak to her when he was under investigation – has been thrown behind bars for nearly two decades.
Shay Bester (47) was convicted in May of one count of trafficking, two of rape, three of assault and one count of sexual penetration without consent, having earlier been found guilty of four counts of making in decent images of children after a four-day trial in January.
He was sentenced to 17 years' imprisonment by the Royal Court today.
Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit explained that Bester had groomed the teenager – who became lonely and depressed, and engaging in self-harm after the covid-19 pandemic disrupted her studies – and involved her in his sexual fantasies during a six-month period prior to buying her a one-way flight from London to Jersey.
"She desperately needed support and someone to talk to, and in that context she engaged with the defendant online," Crown Advocate Maletroit explained.
Pictured: Bester met the vulnerable young girl on an online chatroom and bought her a one-way ticket to Jersey.
Once the girl had arrived in Jersey, Bester took her to his flat where he plied her with vodka and raped her.
Over the course of 17 days there, she suffered a series of sexual attacks, and was coerced into writing a letter giving consent for the way she was treated. That letter said that he could treat the young girl "in any way I see fit" and spelled out the punishment for any disobedience.
He also forced the girl to dress up and pose for indecent images which he later shared with members of an online group.
Pictured: Shay Bester was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment for the sexual abuse and trafficking charges, and an additional two related to indecent images, to run consecutively.
The court was shown CCTV footage of Bester slapping the girl in a St Helier car park and further footage – from the same day, of the victim crying in distress as she began to outline what had happened to her mother, who had travelled to the Island from England and was present when police officers called at Bester's flat and arrested him.
Even after being detained, Bester continued attempts to engage with and manipulate his victim, the court heard, texting and calling her from an unfamiliar phone number and claiming to be a police officer wanting to discuss the case.
"This was deeply abhorrent conduct involving a victim who was an autistic girl, using violence and coercion to facilitate horrific sexual offending, with consequences that are likely to affect her for the rest of her life," Crown Advocate Maletroit said.
Elsewhere in the hearing, the Crown Advocate explained that Bester's predilection for young women was evidenced by the fact more than 2,500 inappropriate images had been found on two laptops, a mobile phone and a hard disk seized from his flat. The court heard that he had also taken part in online discussions, using phrases such as "adult attracted minors" and "little girls" to describe the sort of images he was interested in.
Advocate Ian Jones, defending, said that although Bester continued to deny the offences, he had expressed remorse for what had happened to the girl in a letter that he had submitted shortly before the sentencing hearing.
Advocate Jones added that the victim was above the age of consent, and that there was no evidence that Bester had intended to rape her at the time he initiated her trip to Jersey.
The total sentence handed down was 17 years' imprisonment – 15 years for the rapes, trafficking and assaults he committed, and an additional two years for the indecent images charges.
Commissioner Sir John Saunders was sitting with Jurats Jerry Ramsden, Robert Christensen, Steven Austin-Vautier, Alison Opfermann and Michael Berry.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Charles Vibert said: “I hope that today’s sentencing offers the family involved some form of closure. Bester targeted a vulnerable young female, in order that he could fulfil his own sexual fantasies. We are committed to investigating and prosecuting all sexual offenders and want to assure victims that there are a number of agencies who are able to offer support and guidance through all stages of the criminal justice process."
He added: “We continue to work alongside partners, especially support and advocacy services such as the SARC, Jersey Domestic and Sexual Abuse Support (JDAS), JAAR (Jersey Action Against Rape)and the Jersey Women’s Refuge, to encourage victims of sexual crime to report such incidents. It is important that people know that they can contact these services for advice, and support, without an obligation to pursue a criminal investigation.”
SARC at Dewberry House provides expert independent and confidential support to victims of sexual abuse. Tel: 01534 888222.
Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR) provide and maintain a supporting framework for survivors and their families. Tel: 01534 482801.
Jersey Women’s Refuge offer help and support for victims of domestic abuse. Tel: 0800 7356836.
Victim Support offer free and confidential advice to victims of crime. Tel: 01534 440496.
Victims First Jersey is a free and independent service offering confidential support to victims and witnesses of crime. Call 0800 7351612.
'Sexual predator' found guilty of trafficking and sexually exploiting vulnerable teenager
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