A child rapist from Tunbridge Wells has been jailed for a series of offences committed more than 50 years ago.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Brian Bissell repeatedly abused a girl from when she was only 10 years old. He sometimes targeted the victim in her own home, by entering and exiting through her bedroom window.
Further abuse was carried out at a flat where he lived in Ravenswood Avenue, and in his car. He once also raped the child after taking her to an isolated location in Brokes Wood.
Brian Bissell Image: Kent Police
A complex and lengthy investigation into offences started in 2018, and after Bissell denied any wrongdoing an initial trial was held at Maidstone Crown Court in 2023. A jury was unable to agree on a verdict, and Bissell was found not guilty of offences against a further four alleged victims of abuse but a retrial was ordered for offences relating to the allegations concerning one victim where verdicts had not been reached.
The retrial took place at Maidstone Crown Court during March 2025 and led to Bissell being convicted of five counts of rape. On 17 April 2025, Bissell, 82, of Sandhurst Road, Tunbridge Wells was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment. He was also made the subject of an extended licence period of a year.
Detective Constable Hannah Crittenden said:
‘Bissell abused the trust of both his young victim and her parents in the worst possible way. He quickly exerted control over a vulnerable child to satisfy his abhorrent desires, making her feel the abuse was normal and ensuring her compliance so she was too terrified to tell anyone. His actions have had a lasting and profound impact upon many aspects of the victim’s life, who has continued to live in fear of his presence until he was remanded in custody.
‘Bissell has clearly demonstrated the threat he poses to children, having committed appalling and repeated offences over many years. I do hope this sentence will at least provide some comfort and reassurance to all those who have been connected to our investigations.
‘It is never too late to report any sexual offence and I commend the bravery of any victim that does so. We have a team of specialist officers who work relentlessly to ensure that offenders like Bissell do not evade justice, just because a crime may have happened a long time ago. We will always treat any information with the upmost confidence and sensitivity’.