A FORMER restaurateur is facing years behind bars after being convicted of rape and assault charges against two women.
Gavin Roberts – a serial criminal who previously ran the failed steak and sushi eatery Shinzo – subjected his two victims to violent and degrading assaults, often after nights of binge-drinking.
He denied two counts of common assault against one woman, and one charge of grave and criminal assault, one count of rape, and two counts of sexual penetration without consent against another.
But after a nine-day trial, and 3½ hours’ deliberation, a Royal Court jury unanimously found Roberts guilty of all charges yesterday.
The 44-year-old, who smiled and gave a thumbs-up to photographers as he was led into court earlier in the trial, sat impassively as the verdicts were announced.
Just hours before the trial was due to begin last Monday, he pleaded guilty to two more counts of grave and criminal assault against the second woman.
Following the conviction, the States police praised the victims for coming forward and helping to bring Roberts to justice.
DC Carla Garnier said their actions had been “commendable throughout the investigation and court proceedings” and added: “The States of Jersey Police wish to acknowledge the victims’ courage and strength during this difficult time.
“We work closely with partners and support services such as the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), Jersey Action Against Rape (JAAR) and the Jersey Women’s Refuge.
“These organisations play a crucial role in encouraging victims to report sexual crimes and provide advice, support and the option of assistance without the necessity of pursuing a criminal investigation.”
The second victim spent more than two days in the witness box describing how she had been subjected to assaults and a sex attack which lasted for most of the night.
A repeated theme of the trial was that Roberts would drink to excess and often turn violent when drunk.
Outlining the case, Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit told jurors: “The defendant has an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and when under the influence, he loses his temper easily, over relatively minor things.
“In his case, a loss of temper often escalates to violence. You will hear many examples of that.”
Yesterday’s guilty verdicts were the latest convictions for a man who has repeatedly appeared before the courts over the last 11 years.
In 2013, going by the name Gavin Barnett-Roberts, he was jailed for three years for defrauding a charity playgroup, where he was the treasurer, out of £46,000 – almost forcing it to close.
In 2016, he admitted assaulting a woman at St Brelade’s Bay Hotel and was sentenced to nine months’ probation and 90 hours’ community service.
The following year, under the name Gavin Starks, he was jailed for 21 months after he admitted assaulting two women in two separate attacks – one in her own home, and one in his home. One of the victims was left so scared during the attack that she hid in a cupboard until the police arrived.
When he was sentenced in that case, the judge – the Bailiff, William Bailhache – said: “You need to learn some respect for women.”
In 2020, Roberts re-emerged as the owner of new restaurant Shinzo, which he claimed had a “trendy London vibe” that would set it apart from other eateries in Jersey. It closed just two years later, with Roberts claiming the government owed it £85,000 in Covid funding.
It later emerged that it was in fact Shinzo that owed £229,000 to the government.
Roberts was later ordered to repay £70,000 in social-security contributions and £63,000 in ITIS tax payments. Several former employees won claims for unpaid wages, dismissal and holiday pay.
The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, presided over the nine-day trial that ended this week.
