Care manager found guilty of historical sexual abuse

A CARE manager has been convicted of committing a string of historical sex offences against a boy under the age of 16 in the 1990s.

Donna Bentley (53) – who resigned as a registered care manager with the charity Les Amis when the charges were first brought – was found to have subjected a male teenager to intercourse at an age he “could not lawfully consent to sexual activity with an adult”.

Jurors retired for seven hours and 32 minutes before finding the defendant unanimously guilty on two counts of procuring an act of gross indecency and a single count of indecent assault.

The three offences concern a single incident involving Ms Bentley having sex with the complainant more than thirty years ago.

Bentley was found not guilty on one further count of procuring an act of gross indecency and one count of indecent assault in respect of an alleged second sexual encounter with the victim.

DC Elianne Jones, who led the investigation, said: “Throughout the duration of this case, the victim has shown incredible bravery and strength and has overcome many barriers to give his evidence before the court. The long-lasting trauma sustained from this abuse has greatly impacted the victim’s life and it has taken immense courage to speak out about what he experienced. I am very grateful to the victim for his cooperation and patience during this investigation.

“His willingness to speak out has ensured that the person responsible has now been held accountable for her actions.”

Full story in tomorrow’s JEP