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A woman paedophile has been jailed for life after she committed “shockingly depraved” sexual abuse, including the rape of a girl.
Vicki Bevan “instigated and organised” the rape and sexual abuse of the victim – who is under 10 years old – with two men; Paul Rafferty and Tony Hutton, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
The trio, all from St Helens in Merseyside, were involved in the “systematic abuse” of the girl from 2019 until 2021, the CPS added.
Images of the abuse, including the rape, were found on Bevan’s phone and were shared between the three defendants.
Bevan also shared the images more widely on the Kik Messenger platform and instigated conversations between the trio about the “sexual abuse, rape and torture of the child”, the CPS said.
At one point, she was asked by one of the men if she had any boundaries and answered: “No, none at all…”
The abuse came to light when a fourth man was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children.
His phone was examined and the images of the abuse carried out by Bevan were found.
Prosecutors said the “level of depravity… shocked the CPS team that worked on the case”.
On Friday, Bevan was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 10 years at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting 34 sexual offences, having been seen laughing in the dock at a previous hearing.
Vicki Bevan was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years. Pic: Merseyside Police
Rafferty was jailed for 10 years, with four years extended licence, after he pleaded guilty to nine sexual offences, including the rape of a child.
Hutton was handed a prison term of four years after admitting four sexual offences including the sexual assault of a child.
Before delivering his sentences, the judge in the case said “just when you think you have heard the worst, another one comes along”.
Paul Rafferty was jailed for 10 years. Pic: Merseyside Police
Recorder of Liverpool Andrew Menary QC said: “Of particular concern to the court is the fact that there are exchanges of messages which are shockingly depraved fantasies.
“And they did not remain as fantasies, some of these were played out in real life.”
Tony Hutton was jailed for four years. Pic: Merseyside Police
After Bevan was arrested in October last year, she pleaded guilty to 34 offences in January including:
• Rape
• Two counts of sexual assault
• Four counts of sexual assault by penetration
• One count of attempted sexual assault by penetration
• Inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
• Three counts of sexual activity with a child
• 17 counts of making indecent images of children
• Three counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child
• Two counts of possessing extreme pornography
Following the sentences, Detective Chief Inspector Allison Woods said: “These extremely disturbing crimes committed by Bevan, Rafferty and Hutton have caused great psychological and physical harm to their victims and destroyed lives.
“They repeatedly subjected them to deplorable offences, and we welcome the lengthy sentences given out by the court today.”
Before the sentencing, Judge Menary said any “blame sharing” claim by Bevan in her defence, that she was “led on” by the others, would not be accepted.
At a previous hearing in March, Bevan laughed and smiled with the prison officers in the dock before wiping away tears with a white tissue when the judge came into court.
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