Jersey Restaurateur Imprisoned Following Rape Conviction

A former proprietor of a Jersey restaurant has received a 15-year prison sentence following convictions for assaulting one woman and for the rape, assault, and sexual assault of a second woman. Gavin Neil Roberts, aged 45, who was a co-owner of Shinzo, a restaurant in St Aubin that is no longer operating, presented himself at the Royal Court of the island for his sentencing hearing. Following ninety minutes of deliberation, Jurats imposed a sentence on Roberts for a total of 11 distinct crimes—specifically, one count of rape, two counts of sexual penetration without consent, five counts of common or grave and criminal assault, and three counts of voyeurism—all committed during the period from 2018 to 2022. Roberts responded with sarcastic applause upon the announcement of the verdict. A victim, who chose to forgo her right to remain anonymous, informed the court that she had required repeated hospitalizations due to physical and psychological harm inflicted by Roberts, who had raped and strangled her. Suzie Mahe, who was romantically involved with Roberts when the events occurred, stated: “I am grateful to all of those who have been involved in this case, I want to take a stance and show that we can be united and stand against domestic abuse. “Today, I was able to stand up in court and read my own victim impact statement and it was such a privilege, this was my way to use my voice and stay strong in front of my abuser.”I want my voice to show others that you can reach out and speak up, and your voice will be heard and listened to.” Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit presented a statement on behalf of the other victim, a woman whom Roberts had attacked on two distinct occasions. The statement conveyed her feeling of being a confident and independent woman prior to her encounter with Roberts. It further read: “I now feel like all of this has been taken away from me and I’m not sure what my future will look like.” Roberts’ arrest occurred on October 30, 2022, subsequent to police receiving reports alleging he had assaulted and raped a woman in St Helier. Ms Mahe informed law enforcement that on October 2, 2022, in Bath Street, Roberts had assaulted her by forcefully pushing her against a doorway and seizing her by the neck. Approximately on October 15, 2022, while they were abroad, Roberts subsequently raped her by means of an object for penetration. This event resulted in her sustaining considerable facial injuries and bruising across her body. Subsequently, a second woman presented herself to report two distinct assaults that took place between February and September 2022. The three charges of voyeurism pertained to his act of filming a third woman during sexual intercourse. The court determined that he had carried out all these actions without consent and without any justifiable belief that consent had been granted. Detective Inspector Aiden Quenault stated: “I would like to take time to recognise the strength and thank those women for their strength in coming forward and supporting us through the prosecution and the investigation.” He further remarked: “I would encourage anyone who has been the victim of domestic abuse or sexual violence to reach out to the police or the many agencies available.” Mr. Maletroit requested that the court contemplate a “new way” for the sentencing of rape offenses within Jersey. He indicated that there had been an absence of local sentencing guidelines concerning sexual offenses, which had resulted in inconsistencies in prior judgments. Mr. Maletroit urged the court to utilize this particular sentencing as an opportunity to establish its own guidelines for rape cases involving a not guilty plea and a contested trial. He proposed a guideline commencing with a five to six-year imprisonment term, progressively increasing to a maximum sentence of 15 years for “exceptionally bad” cases where the victim experiences “extreme harm.” Kate Wright, who serves as CEO of Free from Domestic Abuse (Freeda) and chair of the Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce, commented: “I hope that this heralds the introduction of new sentencing guidelines that will show women and girls in Jersey especially that they can have trust in our courts and they can achieve the justice they so deserve.” She further added: “What will stay with me most today though is witnessing the incredible bravery of one of the victims who read her own victim statement in court.” For updates, follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Story ideas can be submitted to channel.islands@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.