GARY BETTS FROM TUNBRIDGE WELLS SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS FOR CHILD RAPE AND SEXUAL ABUSE IN MAIDSTONE

In a case that has shocked the local community of Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding areas, Gary Betts, aged 48, was handed down a severe prison sentence of 11 years at Maidstone Crown Court on a recent Friday. The conviction stems from a series of heinous crimes committed over two decades ago, involving the sexual abuse of a young girl who was only 12 years old at the time.

Betts, who was present in the courtroom dressed in a grey shirt and appeared unshaven, showed no visible emotion as Judge Jeremy Carey delivered the sentence. He sat motionless, listening intently as the judge detailed the gravity of his offenses. Betts’s address was listed as Sherwood Road, Tunbridge Wells.

The court found Betts guilty of a total of twelve charges, including five counts of rape, three counts of indecent assault, and four counts of indecency with a child. These charges related to a prolonged period in the 1980s, during which Betts repeatedly assaulted and raped the young girl over a span of four years. The abuse began when she was just 12 years old and continued for several years, leaving a lasting impact on her life.

During the sentencing, Judge Carey also considered nine additional charges involving extreme pornography, which Betts admitted to possessing. These included explicit images involving sexual acts with animals. The court was shown photographs taken by Betts, including one where the young girl was handcuffed to a tree while another man groped her. Betts was also found to have raped and sexually assaulted her, forcing her to perform other explicit acts, and he took sexually explicit photographs of her during these assaults.

In his remarks to Betts, Judge Carey emphasized the betrayal of trust and the exploitation involved in the crimes. He stated, “She was a child who needed support, but instead you saw in her someone you could exploit and debase. She was so much younger than you. This sexual offending has had a long-lasting effect upon her.”

The jury, after a nine-day trial, unanimously convicted Betts of 12 charges on October 14. However, they acquitted him of one charge of rape and one of sexual assault against the same girl. Additionally, the jury found him not guilty of two charges of rape, four of indecent assault, and three of indecency involving another girl, following the judge’s directions.

Betts’s defense attorney, Catherine Connelly, highlighted his health issues, including level two stomach cancer requiring intravenous treatment, as well as problems with cysts and mobility. Despite these health concerns, the judge made it clear that the severity of Betts’s crimes warranted the full sentence, stating, “Your level two cancer should be brought to the court but it can’t have any impact on the length of the sentence. I have to sentence you due to the gravity of your offending, and taking all these sexual offences as a whole, I conclude the appropriate minimum sentence to be 11 years.”

Betts’s case has left a deep scar on the community of Tunbridge Wells, highlighting the importance of justice for victims of such heinous crimes and the ongoing need for vigilance and support for survivors.