A FORMER restaurateur who was convicted of rape, sexual assault and assault earlier this year has been sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Gavin Roberts (45) was described as a repeat offender who regularly got drunk and grabbed his victims around the neck.
He has also been served a domestic abuse protection order for an indefinite period and will be on the domestic offenders’ register for 18 years. In February, Roberts was convicted after a nine-day trial for a catalogue of violent offences against two women.
Crown Advocate Matthew Maletroit, prosecuting, described how he had committed common assault against one woman.
A second woman, Suzannah Mahe – who agreed to be identified – stood in the witness box for four days in February to describe how she had met Roberts on a dating app and started seeing him, and that she worked for one of his hospitality ventures – though the court heard that she was never paid.
The court was told how he had assaulted her after a night out, and how on a holiday in Turkey, he had become angry when he was drunk. Miss Mahe left the nightclub they were visiting and only returned to the hotel some hours later, at which point Roberts threw her into the lift and dragged her into the hotel room.
He raped and sexually assaulted her for some time, the court heard.
Upon their return to Jersey, Roberts attacked Miss Mahe on two more occasions, when he became angry in their home and beat and strangled her, and on one occasion, locked her out of the house.
In June, Roberts also pleaded guilty to three counts of voyeurism against a third woman. This was discovered after police found a hard drive he owned and discovered video recordings of Roberts having sex with a woman. She did not appear aware that she was being filmed.
The three videos were between one and two hours long.
Even after pleading guilty, the court heard, Roberts had insisted that the woman knew she was being recorded.
Having been in an abusive relationship with Roberts – during which he strangled her on multiple occasions and raped her – Miss Mahe addressed the court about the impact the abuse had had on her.
She said she had had to relocate and had been unable to work as a healthcare assistant – due to her injuries at first, and later because she felt she would not be able to manage “challenging behaviours” from clients “as it would be a constant reminder of what Gavin has put me through”.
She was diagnosed with upper airway paradoxical dysfunction and vocal cord damage as a result of the attacks and was initially unable to communicate.
She said: “I have not been able to wear my hair fully down… as when it touches my neck it makes my stomach sink, because I feel as though he has his hands around my neck again. This includes jewellery.”
She had stopped going out and avoided driving past a number of locations around the Island, such as The Royal Yacht or the building in St Aubin that used to host Roberts’ restaurant, Shinzo.
She spoke of the impact on her mental health, how she blamed herself for the attacks, and how she attempted to take her own life.
“I feel like I’m the one who’s received a life sentence and I’m in a prison of my own,” she said.
“I have subjected myself to the whole process of the investigation and court, not only for myself but also so that other women can feel strong enough to come forward, as well as protecting future partners of his, who will hopefully know and understand how dangerous he can be.”
Crown Advocate Maletroit suggested a new set of guidelines for the court to use in sentencings for rapes against adults. He asked for Roberts to be jailed for 15 years. These would range from a five-year starting point, to a 15-year starting point for the most serious of cases.
There are currently no local sentencing guidelines, he said, and the courts had been arguing for the past eight years about the use of UK guidelines.
But Advocate Olaf Blakeley, defending, said that it would be unfair and inconsistent to introduce new sentencing guidelines.
The court had earlier been told that there were “numerous” risk factors and that the risk of harm was “serious”. A probation report found his apology was “superficial”.
Roberts regularly showed “sexually deviant behaviours”, Crown Advocate Maletroit said.
“Strangulation is the prime method of subverting his victims.”
The case saw nine Jurats assemble as the Superior Number – which only happens for the most serious cases.
The Bailiff, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, presided alongside Jurats Christensen, Austin-Vautier, Averty, Le Cornu, Le Heuzé, Opfermann, Entwistle and Berry.
