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Rape appeal rejected

Tue, 17 Jan 2012

A Ramsey man convicted of rape has failed to win an appeal against his conviction.

Gary Beattie was sentenced to 12 years in December 2010 after being found guilty of raping a sixteen year old girl at his home.

Beattie, who was 34 at the time, maintained that it had been consensual but a jury convicted him.

The appeal was on grounds of claims that Deemster Turner made a number of mistakes during the trial.

Advocate Jason Stanley said the Deemster shouldn't have let the jury hear a 999 call made by a witness who couldn't give evidence at the trial because they had left the country.

Mr Stanley also said the judge shouldn't have refused to hear evidence about the victim's sexual history and it was claimed he'd been unduly casual and familiar with the jury throughout the hearing.

However, the Appeal Deemster's didn't find fault with Deemster Turner's conduct and pointed out that Mr Stanley hadn't raised these issues during the trial.

Beattie will now appeal against the length of his sentence.

 

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