DAVID KIRBY FROM EASTBOURNE AND TUNBRIDGE WELLS SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC 1989 TUNBRIDGE WELLS SEX TERROR

In a case that has spanned over 16 years, a man identified as David Kirby, formerly of Eastbourne and Tunbridge Wells, has finally been brought to justice for a brutal assault and sexual assault that took place in Tunbridge Wells in February 1989. The lengthy investigation culminated in his conviction after advances in DNA testing technology allowed authorities to link him conclusively to the crime scene.

Kirby, who was 48 years old at the time of sentencing, had managed to evade detection for many years due to the absence of any prior convictions or cautions, meaning his name was not initially on the national DNA register. It was only after his arrest in 2004, on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children as part of Operation Ore, that police obtained his DNA profile. This profile was eventually matched to evidence collected from the victim, an 18-year-old woman, and her boyfriend, also 18, who had been attacked in a car parked on Fir Tree Lane, Tunbridge Wells.

The court heard harrowing details of the assault. Prosecutor John O’Higgins described how the young couple had been engaged in an intimate moment in their vehicle when they were suddenly confronted by a man wielding a shotgun. The attacker, later identified as Kirby, was wearing a balaclava and camouflage jacket. He ordered the couple to lie face down on the ground, then proceeded to tie their hands behind their backs and blindfold the young woman with a scarf.

Kirby then threatened the boyfriend with the shotgun, pressing the barrel to his head and warning him, “Look again and I will blow your ******* head off,” when the young man attempted to look around. The attacker then placed a bag over the woman’s head, and despite her pleas to take their car and belongings and not to hurt them, Kirby continued his assault. He kissed her and then raped her, leaving the scene only to return later, further threatening her with the gun.

Following the attack, the victims fled to a nearby house where the woman was employed as a nanny. Despite extensive police investigations, including a broadcast appeal on Crime Watch, the case remained unsolved for years. It was only after re-examining clothing and biological evidence from the victim’s jeans in the late 1990s that a DNA profile was obtained. The breakthrough came in July 2004 when the profile matched Kirby’s DNA on the national database.

Further forensic analysis of swabs taken from the victim confirmed the match with a probability of one in a billion. Kirby, who was living in Tunbridge Wells at the time of the attack and owned a shotgun, was subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to rape and two counts of false imprisonment.

During sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Andrew Patience, QC, expressed profound sympathy for the victims, stating, “I cannot find the words to express adequately what I am trying to understand they must have felt, because such an experience doesn’t bear thinking about. But that it was almost beyond words in itself, the horror has to be stated.”

Kirby, who had been residing in Eastbourne, was ordered to serve a 13-year prison sentence. The judge also mandated that he be on licence for three years after his release and remain on the sex offenders’ register for life, emphasizing the severity of his crimes and the lasting impact on the victims.