In 2017, the Offender Database recorded that Dylan Bennett, then 22, was jailed for four-and-a-half years for raping a 12-year-old girl and fathering a child with a teenager. On Thursday, 26 January 2017, the defendant appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh for sentencing. The court reported that Bennett, of West Lothian, committed a series of offences against girls aged 12, 13, and 14 between December 2014 and December 2015.
The investigation established that Bennett took two girls to wooded areas in Uphall and Livingston, West Lothian, and raped his youngest victim at a property in Linlithgow High Street, West Lothian. Police Scotland reported that the defendant committed these crimes while on bail under multiple court orders. The prosecution reported that while Bennett pleaded guilty to the majority of the charges, a jury convicted him of a further allegation of unlawful intercourse following a trial.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that the offences had a “significant impact” on the survivors, noting that one victim gave birth to Bennett’s child while the youngest was admitted to hospital following a suspected overdose. The High Court in Edinburgh heard from the defence that Bennett had a troubled upbringing and claimed to be confused about the age of consent. The prosecution reported that despite these claims, Bennett admitted he was aware his actions were illegal at the time of the offences in West Lothian.
Lord Woolman noted that the defendant would have faced a six-year sentence had he not entered guilty pleas. For his actions in Livingston, Uphall, and Linlithgow, West Lothian, Bennett was handed a four-and-a-half-year custodial term. The judge noted that due to the risk he posed, he would also be subject to a further four years of mandatory supervision upon his release from HMP Addiewell.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Scotland, Dylan Bennett was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: Four years and six months in prison.
- Supervision Requirement: An additional four years of supervision on the licence.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are in effect for life.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh.
- Criminal Record: Convicted of rape and unlawful intercourse with children.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Bennett is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Police Scotland and the prison estate. Due to the “significant and lasting harm” caused to his victims in West Lothian, his management is subject to the highest level of oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Bennett must comply with notification requirements regarding his identity and residence for the remainder of his life. Authorities state that his history of offending while on bail and his targeting of children as young as 12 necessitate permanent and stringent monitoring of his associations. Any breach of his registration conditions or his four-year supervision order in West Lothian or elsewhere will result in immediate arrest and a return to the court system.
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