ANDREW TOMKINS SENTENCED IN NORWICH FOR ABUSE CASES - VICTIMS SPEAK OUT
In June 2018, two women who endured years of sexual abuse at the hands of their stepfather, Andrew Tomkins, have publicly shared their harrowing experiences and criticized the criminal justice system for its handling of their case.The abuse began in 1998, when Justyne Betts was just nine years old and her sister Leanne Betts was 11.
Over the years, the trauma persisted, with Justyne suffering ongoing abuse until she reached the age of 18.
Leanne, meanwhile, was taken into care after her accusations against Tomkins were dismissed by both family members and law enforcement in 2002.
Both women, now adults, chose to waive their right to anonymity to shed light on their ordeal and express their frustration with the relatively lenient sentence handed down to their abuser.
Despite reporting the abuse again in 2015, it took more than two years for justice to be served, as court dates were repeatedly vacated with only three days' notice.
The culmination of their efforts came on August 22 of the previous year, when Andrew Tomkins, residing on Blomefield Road, was scheduled to face trial on 14 counts including indecent assault, sexual assault, and sexual activity with a child.
On that day, Tomkins admitted to five charges and was subsequently bailed.
However, he was sentenced to 30 months in prison on October 30.
Tomkins' abusive conduct reportedly began just one year after he started his relationship with the Betts family’s mother.
Justyne, now 28, described the abuse as multifaceted, involving not only sexual misconduct but also mental and physical abuse.
“He was mentally, physically and sexually abusive,” she explained.
“He started putting rules down to make it look like we hated him for that, not what he was doing.” Leanne, now 30, recounted her decision to tell her mother about the abuse when she was 14, describing Tomkins as “a bully and a sexual predator.” She expressed her belief that her mother was manipulated and controlled by Tomkins, noting that abusive partners often exert their power in subtle but effective ways.
“I think mum was manipulated and controlled.
Abusive partners do not have to hit you or put you down.
They do it in such a manner they control a situation,” she said.
Following her disclosure, Leanne was taken into care in 2002 and became increasingly isolated from her family.
Within three months, she had provided police with video interviews detailing her allegations, but no further action was taken at that time.
She reflected on her experience, saying, “I didn’t give any eye contact and wasn’t engaging, so at the time they assumed I was lying.
They said they have different training now and the signs I was showing in my first interview were of a classic abused child.” Meanwhile, Justyne remained in the family home, remaining silent about her suffering for years.
She described herself as “the quiet one and would not say a word” against Tomkins.
“I became quite a scared girl,” she admitted.
“I was scared to go out and scared to do anything.
As time went on, it got harder and harder to tell people.
I was nearly 18 when I finally told him to leave me alone, when I finally grew a backbone.
He never did it after that.” Both sisters finally found the courage to speak out after their mother’s relationship with Tomkins ended.
In July 2015, they provided statements to the police, and this time, their claims were believed.
However, the court process that followed proved to be deeply traumatic for both women.
They criticized the CPS and court staff for their lack of sensitivity and described feeling pressured to accept a plea deal of five guilty pleas from Tomkins to avoid the ordeal of a trial.
Leanne shared her frustration, saying, “I had been branded a liar since I was 14.
That is why I took the bargain plea, because I didn’t want to have to go through all that again at the trial.
The whole court process was a joke.
On the Friday before the trial in July, I got a call that it had been canceled and adjourned to a later date.
They said a bigger case was going on, and that was it.” She described the mental toll the process took on her, stating, “My anxiety was through the roof and I was angry and anxious all the time.
In the end, I started saying to them I am not coming to court.
They then threatened to make me go with a warrant.
They are not sensitive to anybody’s needs or emotions.
They do not care about you as a person.
You are just a number and a name on a list.” Justyne echoed these sentiments, revealing that the sudden cancellation of their trial with only three days’ notice was devastating.
“I built myself up for the trial so much that when it was canceled, it completely broke me,” she said.
“I never suffered with mental health issues before all of this.
Wounds heal but this doesn’t heal.
We are stuck with this for the rest of our lives.
They give out these stupid sentences — and we have a life sentence.”
