Man, 47, accused of luring teenage girl to Jersey and raping her in public toilet

A man has appeared before Jersey's Royal Court accused of luring a vulnerable teenage girl he met online to the island and raping her.

Shay John Edward Bester, 47, is alleged to have groomed the child over several months before persuading her to join him in Jersey in November 2021.

The court heard that Mr Bester first met the teenager in an online chat room when she was living in the UK and he is alleged to have sought to establish an emotional connection in order to gain her trust.

During the two weeks she spent with him in Jersey, the prosecution claims she was raped on more than one occasion, including in a public toilet.

The jury was shown video footage of the moment she was found by police officers in Bester's St Helier flat and reunited with her mother, who had reported her missing.

Bester is facing seven charges: one count of trafficking, two of rape, three of assault and one count of sexual penetration without consent.

He denies the charges and the trial continues.

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