A convicted rapist embarked on a “campaign of violence” against a girl he sexually assaulted, a court has heard.
Shaun Bennett, 19, of Banner Street, Wavertree, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday to be sentenced in relation to a sexual assault which took place while he was under investigation for the rape of a young girl. Ben Jones, prosecuting, explained that at around 9pm one evening in 2020, the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was walking with Bennett and another friend.
The victim, who was 16 at the time of the offence, was left alone with Bennett when her friend left, before the defendant pulled her into a nearby alleyway. Bennett forced the victim’s hands down his trousers, attempting to make her touch his penis, and ignoring her refusals.
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He also tried to force her legs apart and attempted to touch her. Bennett then smashed the victim’s head against the wall of the alleyway, and continued grabbing her by the waist as she tried to get away, before she managed to escape.
After the offence, he embarked on a “campaign of violence” against the victim, including threatening to kill her and her family over social media. He insinuated he had paid someone to kill her family, saying the threats were a “promise”, and said he would “stab her nan in the back”, which the victim found audio evidence of.
In January 2021, Bennett also set the victim’s bins on fire and sent her a video of it. The abuse was done under the name “Ethan Smith”, and when interviewed, Bennett claimed this was a real person who “borrowed his phone” and sent the messages.
The victim did not initially report the incident as she was scared in case Bennett fulfilled his threats, but her mother got advice from a counsellor and on April 6, 2021, the victim’s mother called the police. The victim was spoken to by police on April 16, 2021, and detailed the attack, stating she did not know what he was doing at first as he just kept trying to touch her.
She confirmed the incident lasted around 30 seconds, made her feel scared, and said Bennett did not care about her saying she needed to leave. The 16-year-old described being frozen with fear as he repeatedly said “just let me do it” and that she was worried he would do something worse.
Bennett is currently serving a seven and a half year detention with a further five year extended licence for the rape of a 13-year-old girl in 2019, for which he was sentenced on September 9, 2021. In relation to this offence, he pleaded guilty to making threats to kill, but continued to deny inciting someone to engage in sexual activity until four days before cross examination of the victim for trial was due to take place.
In a defiant victim impact statement read by the prosecution, the victim said she was left feeling lonely and isolated by Bennett, but did not want to see herself as a victim. It read: “I do not want to think of myself as a victim but as a fighter, it does not make me weak.
“He put me in a very dark place, I have never felt as lonely in my life as I did at that time. I had to sit day after day night after night with my own thoughts.” She detailed feeling scared to go out and in her own home after the attack, but she “did herself proud” by passing her GCSEs and getting into college.
She added: “I believe that he craved the power he got over me, he liked that I was afraid because he knew he could control me. “I am so much stronger than you, I hope you learn your lesson.
“We are not and we will never be victims.” Bennett was previously convicted for sexually abusing a young girl when he was 14, for which he received a 12-month referral order in 2018.
In 2019 he was caught with a knife. For possessing a bladed article, common assault and battery he was handed a Youth Rehabilitation Order.
Andrew McGuinness, defending, said his client had a difficult childhood and had been “living in survival mode” for some time. He said Bennett, who was 17 at the time of the offence, has no contact with his mother and limited contact with his other family members as he spent much of his life in care.
Mr McGuinness conceded there were similarities between this offence and the rape for which he was convicted, but said he did not believe any advance planning went into this occasion. Judge David Aubrey, said there was almost an “irony”, in that the victim likely would not have come forward if it had not been for the continued threats Bennett made against her and her family.
In sentencing, Judge Aubrey said: “You pulled her into an alleyway and made her try to touch your penis. You forced her legs apart and put her hands down the front of your trousers.
“She told you not to do it, she was resisting as much as she could. She obviously wanted nothing to do with you.
“You would not accept that so you threatened to stab her nan which you described as a promise and not a threat.” He added: “She had rebuffed you, you had intended to show her that no one says no to you and to make her life an absolute misery.
“You succeeded for some time before the victim had the courage in her own mind not to allow you to control her anymore.” Judge Aubrey said Bennett showed no concern or empathy for his victims, and that he “is clearly dangerous and remains a danger.”
Bennett was sentenced to 13 months in detention for causing someone under 16 to engage in sexual activity, and two years for making threats to kill, to be served consecutively to each other and to his current sentence. A restraining order banning Bennett from contacting the victim was implemented indefinitely, and he will be also subject to notification requirements indefinitely.
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