Donna Bentley, aged 53, has been sentenced to 456 hours of community service at Jersey’s Royal Court after being convicted of historical sexual offences committed against a schoolboy.
Bentley was convicted in July following a trial in which jurors deliberated for seven hours and 32 minutes before returning unanimous guilty verdicts on three charges:
- Two counts of procuring an act of gross indecency
- One count of indecent assault
Under statutory reporting legislation, victims of sexual offences are protected by lifelong anonymity.
The court heard that the offending took place during the 1990s, when Bentley was in her early 20s and the male victim was a child under 16 years of age.
Crown Advocate Carla Carvalho detailed the severe, long-term psychological consequences of the offending, explaining that the survivor developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and experienced profound sexual anxiety directly linked to the abuse.
At the time criminal proceedings were initiated, Bentley was employed as a care manager at Les Amis, a prominent Jersey-based charitable organisation providing residential and day services to individuals with learning disabilities. She tendered her resignation from the charity upon charges being formally brought by law enforcement.
At sentencing, the Royal Court opted against imposing an immediate custodial sentence, instead ordering Bentley to complete 456 hours of community service within the jurisdiction.
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