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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Colin Drury

‘Depraved’ woman jailed for life after raping young girl and sharing photos online

Merseyside Police

A woman has been jailed for life after admitting raping a girl aged under 10 with two men.

Vicki Bevan, from St Helens, filmed and photographed the abuse – which went on for two years – so she could share it online.

The 37-year-old told one man of her desire to “kidnap, rape, torture, kill and then eat children”. When he asked if she had any boundaries, she replied: “No, none at all.”

She was given a life sentence with a minimum term of 10 years at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday after previously pleading guilty to 34 sexual offences.

The two men – also from St Helens – were also jailed.

Paul Rafferty, 62, of Fry Street, was jailed for 10 years after he admitted nine sexual offences, including the rape of the girl. Father-of-three Tony Hutton, 42, of Liverpool Street, was handed a prison term of four years after admitting four sexual offences.

Judge Andrew Menary labelled the crime “truly shocking – even allowing for some people’s capacity for perversion”.

He called the abuse “shockingly depraved”.

The crimes came to light last year when police seized the phone of another man – not before the court – which contained 458 pages of explicit WhatsApp conversations with Bevan, including the exchanging of indecent images. Several of the photos showed Bevan, of Napier Street, raping the child.

She was arrested during a raid on her home last October and confessed to her crimes in January.

Jonathan Duffy, mitigating, said that her mental health had deteriorated following the break up of her marriage and she has since been diagnosed as bi-polar.

Following the sentences, senior crown prosecutor Pauline Newrick said it was "one of the worst cases" she had ever been involved in.

"If [Bevan] had not been caught, no doubt she would have continued arranging for this young girl and potentially others to be abused by herself and men in the most horrendous way," she said.

Detective Chief Inspector Allison Woods, of Merseyside Police, 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."

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