Police have pledged that they “will always be there to listen” to anyone reporting abuse – no matter how many years have passed – after a man was convicted of sexual offences against three teenage girls dating back decades.
Shay John Edward Bester (50) was found guilty of six counts of rape, two of unlawful sexual intercourse, one of assault and one of procuring an act of gross indecency.
During a two-week trial, three women appeared in the Royal Court to describe how Bester committed the offences against them several decades ago. Each alleged that he raped them multiple times.
Jurors found Bester not guilty of one charge of having unlawful sexual intercourse on several occasions, but convicted him of the alternative charge, saying he had committed this once.
Jurors could not reach a decision on two counts of rape and one of procuring an act of gross indecency.
DC Elianne Jones, the officer in charge of the case, said the conviction closed a complex three-and-a-half year investigation.
She added that bringing the three cases together strengthened the case.
“All three victims in this case came forward separately, but after recognising similarities with a case that Bester was convicted for in 2023,” said DC Jones.
“This was an act of real courage for the victims to come forward and has been vital in securing justice for them.”
She praised their bravery and resilience, adding: “We will continue to pursue sexual offenders regardless of how much time has passed and we encourage anyone who is affected to seek support and report the abuse. We will always be there to listen.”
In her closing speech, Crown Advocate Emma Hollywood pointed to the three women’s similar accounts of who the man, who she described as “a sexual predator who targeted vulnerable teenagers”.
Similarities between the three women’s reports “cannot be mere coincidence”, she said, but were “a striking pattern as to how this man behaves”.
“They do not know the detail of what happened to one another. They are not friends. They do not speak,” she said.
“Different women, different times, same man, same behaviour. He repeats history time and time again.”
She reminded jurors that Bester had previously been convicted of trafficking, raping and assaulting a vulnerable teenager.
“The defendant has been accused not once, not twice, not three times, but a total of four times, of rape, by four separate women,” she added.
And a search of Bester’s devices revealed he had accessed “rape pornography” and had “a particular interest in female vulnerability”, she said.
“As you have heard, it is our case that the sexual assaults and physical assaults described to you are the truth. This trial is about the defendant’s past behaviour,” said Crown Advocate Hollywood.
“There is no collusion, no collaboration, just the truth as told to you by [the three women].
“Each found the courage to come before you and have their voices heard.”
Advocate Olaf Blakeley, defending, reminded jurors that to convict Bester, they had to be sure that he was guilty.
“The prosecution are telling you that these are similarities that exist. Of course they do, we’re talking about the same man,” he said.
But Advocate Blakeley pointed to variations between the women’s accounts, which he said “could not be more different”.
The defence advocate ackowledged that some complainants take a long time to come forward – but said that the three women “made no historical record or reporting of rape until now”.
One of the women said in her police interview that she had told others at the time about the offending, said Advocate Blakeley.
“Well, we didn’t hear from them, so they can’t help you in terms of corroboration,” he added.
Advocate Blakeley added that Bester thought he had the women’s consent.
Bester is due to be sentenced on 17 April.
Commissioner Andrew Oldland was presiding.
