DYLAN BENNETT FROM LINLITHGOW FACES JAIL FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST UNDERAGE GIRLS IN LIVINGSTON AND UPHALL

In December 2016, a disturbing case unfolded in the High Court in Livingston involving Dylan Bennett, a 22-year-old man from Linlithgow, who was accused of grooming under-age girls through social media and engaging in unlawful sexual activities with them. The court heard harrowing details of how Bennett used Facebook to target and manipulate young girls, some as young as 12, by befriending them through their classmates and establishing a false sense of trust.

According to the evidence presented, Bennett arranged to meet the girls in person after their online interactions. He committed serious sexual offences, including raping a 12-year-old girl at a residence on Linlithgow’s High Street. Additionally, he engaged in unprotected sex with a 14-year-old girl, who subsequently became pregnant and later gave birth to his child. The court was also informed that Bennett had sent explicit messages and images, including a photograph of his genitalia, to one of the victims, further demonstrating his predatory behavior.

While he was acquitted of forcibly raping a 13-year-old girl, the jury took only thirty minutes to reach a majority verdict finding Bennett guilty of unlawful sexual activity with her. The prosecution highlighted that Bennett had intentionally met the under-age girl to engage in sexual acts, fully aware that she was under 16. His actions included arranging sexual encounters in various locations, such as woods in Livingston and Uphall, where he engaged in sexual activities with the other two schoolgirls.

During the trial, Bennett offered a self-defensive account, claiming he was unaware that his conduct was illegal. He stated that it was only after police intervention that he recognized the wrongfulness of his actions. He also insisted that he believed the 13-year-old girl had consented to their sexual relationship, citing their exchange of explicit messages on social media and her expressed happiness after their Facebook meeting on May 7, 2015. Bennett claimed she told him she was “glad” to have lost her virginity to him.

However, the victims provided contrasting testimonies. One girl described feeling scared of Bennett because of his height and claimed that he had forced himself upon her. The court was presented with distressing evidence of Bennett’s pattern of befriending and exploiting young girls, which ultimately led to his conviction.

As a result of his guilty pleas, Bennett has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register and now faces a prison sentence estimated to range between five and seven years. His sentencing is scheduled for January 26, 2017, and will be determined by the trial judge, Lord Woolman.