Former badminton coach jailed for sex assaults on teenager
Brian Furneaux's been given a 13 year jail sentence
A former England badminton coach from Devon has been jailed for the rape and sexual assault of a child in the 1990s.
Brian Furneaux, 66, of Ipplepen, Newton Abbot, was convicted on two charges of rape and nine charges of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 16, after a trial at Exeter Crown Court.
He was sentenced on Thursday 3 October to 13 years in prison, ordered to sign the Sexual Offenders’ Register for life and will be barred by the Disclosure and Barring Service.
The court heard that the offences occurred in multiple places in Devon during the 1990s, when the girl was aged 15 and at school.
The prosecution said he groomed her before sexually assaulting and raping her when she was 15.
The victim reported the incidents to police in 2021 and Furneaux was arrested on 23 April in the same year.
He pleaded not guilty but following a trial, he was convicted of all the offences.
It was the second time he had faced trial for the charges, after a previous jury failed to reach a verdict.
In his summing up, when he passed sentence, His Honour Judge David Evans said: “Your suggestion to police and the jury that nothing sexual happened and that she decided, 30 years later, to uproot her life and her family lives with her schoolgirl fantasies is transparent nonsense… You hoped the past would remain uncovered but did not count on her bravery.”
"My only motive coming forward was to safeguard other young people"
Detective Constable Tamsyn Dingley, who investigated the case, praised the victim for her bravery in coming forward 30 years later and for putting herself through a police investigation and two trials. She said: “For three-and-a-half years, the victim has remained steadfast and incredibly strong in her decision to make her disclosure to us.
“She never wanted any of this, she simply wanted to provide information to enable us to safeguard other vulnerable girls.
“In her coming forward, I hope she now has closure with the guilty verdicts and the sentence passed by Judge Evans.”
Responding to the sentencing, the victim said: “I would like to thank all at Devon and Cornwall Police, especially DC Tamsyn Dingley and DC Deborah Ward, whose compassion and thorough investigation helped us to achieve justice.
“After a long time has elapsed, it is difficult to resurrect past trauma and it has been a long and difficult process, but I would urge others who have experienced similar, to come forward; you will be supported and heard.
“For me, my only motive in coming forward was to safeguard other young people and I feel we have achieved that with this outcome.
“I will be forever grateful to my husband, parents, family and friends who have supported me and shown me love throughout.”