Tunbridge Wells Paedophile David Kirby, a former soldier, has been captured for a terrifying sexual attack at gunpoint against a courting couple over 16 years ago, following substantial improvements in DNA testing.
After the attack in February 1989 in Tunbridge Wells, David Kirby eluded detection until this year when he was arrested on suspicion of involvement in online child pornography charges.
His name was excluded from the national DNA register due to the lack of prior convictions or cautions.
Subsequent to his apprehension, police enforcement conducted a thorough analysis of profiles acquired from the 18-year-old victim and established a match with David Kirby’s DNA.
The 48-year-old married father has begun a 13-year prison term for the “atrocious” offences that left the judge at Maidstone Crown Court practically speechless.
Judge Andrew Patience, QC, remarked on the victims, “I cannot adequately express what they must have endured, as such an ordeal is inconceivable.”
“However, the horror must be articulated, as it is nearly indescribable.”
The court was informed that the 18-year-old female and her 18-year-old boyfriend had engaged in sexual intercourse in a vehicle located in a parking area on Fir Tree Lane, Tunbridge Wells.
John O’Higgins, the prosecutor, stated that they remained unclothed until the woman heard the sound of her car door opening and turned to observe a shotgun barrel protruding.
The boyfriend observed a man clad in a balaclava and a camouflage jacket. A single-barrel 12-gauge shotgun was aimed at his head.
David Kirby instructed the pair to assume a prone position. He bound their hands behind their backs and blindfolded the young individual with a scarf.
Mr. O’Higgins stated that David Kirby aimed the firearm at the boyfriend’s head due to his attempt to glance around, warning him: “Look again and I will blow your * head off.”
David Kirby placed a bag over the woman’s head. The woman instructed him, “Take the car, take everything.” Simply refrain from causing us harm. The forlorn boyfriend implored Kirby.
David Kirby removed the sack off the woman’s face and kissed her. He thereafter assaulted her sexually.
David Kirby departed but subsequently reappeared. He pressed the firearm to the woman’s side and issued further threats.
Subsequent to his permanent departure, the victims sought refuge in a residence where the woman was employed as a nanny.
Mr. O’Higgins stated that thorough investigations were conducted and an appeal was aired on Crime Watch, yet yielded no results.
Years later, law enforcement re-evaluated the victim’s attire and extracted DNA from the crotch of her trousers. A profile was acquired in the late 1990s.
Mr. O’Higgins stated, “The profile from the jeans did not match any records in the national system until July 2004.” A match was established with David Kirby. In the late 1990s, he had no prior police record – no convictions or cautions.
In 2004, following Operation Ore, he was apprehended for possessing obscene photos of children and subsequently charged.
Consequently, his DNA was collected and entered into the national database. A confrontation transpired.
A microscope slide comprising swabs from the woman was analysed, resulting in a DNA match with Kirby with a probability of one in a billion.
On Thursday, he entered a guilty plea for rape and two counts of false imprisonment. At the time of the offences, he resided in Tunbridge Wells and possessed a shotgun.
Judge Patience mandated that Kirby, a former resident of Eastbourne, be subject to a three-year licence following his release. He will be permanently included on the sex offenders’ register.
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