A 59-year-old rapist from Reading has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for sexually abusing four teenage girls between 1999 and 2005. Brian Austin, of Kingsley Close, Whitley Wood, was convicted at Reading Crown Court on Friday of eight offences, including two counts of rape, attempted rape, indecent assault, and sexual activity with a child.
Detective Constable Danny Bowles said Austin targeted vulnerable girls aged 14 and 15 from the Reading area, often offering them money for what he called 'pretend sex'. The court heard that Austin, who uses a false leg, would remove it before committing the assaults. One victim was forced to carve his initials into her leg.
Judge Peter Ross handed down the sentence after a trial. Bowles praised the victims for coming forward, noting that two of them recognised Austin's name from previous press coverage of another incident. The victims, who did not know each other, provided consistent accounts of the abuse, which helped secure the conviction.
Bowles expressed hope that the sentence would encourage other victims to report similar crimes. 'He befriended them. They have maybe come from a broken home and not from loving families – the vulnerability of the girls was key,' he said.
