A former Revenue and Customs officer has been convicted of a horrific rape that lay unsolved for nearly eight years.

Kelvin Clyde Bennett, 45, from Birmingham, was found guilty at Maidstone Crown Court today of three counts of rape and one count of kidnap, and will be sentenced on September 3.

The offences occurred at around 3am on December 9, 2000, when a 21-year-old woman was walking home from a night out.

Bennett grabbed the victim from behind, dragged her along the road and forced her into his car. He then drove her to several secluded locations, raped her three times and threatened to kill her, before dumping her in a country lane.

The trial and conviction is a first for Kent Police's newly formed team, established in April this year, that specifically re-investigates unsolved murders and stranger rapes from the 1960s onwards.

Bennett was arrested in February after the national DNA database revealed DNA taken from him in relation to another offence also matched that which had previously been taken from the victim.

Detective Chief Inspector David Withers, from Kent Police's Major Crime Department, said: “Bennett was believed to be of good character, working in a position of authority and trust.

“He has totally betrayed that trust and let everyone down - himself, his family, friends, neighbours and colleagues, but most of all the victim of this terrible crime and her loved ones.

“I hope this case highlights to everyone that rapists come from all walks of life. Like other serious offences, rape knows no social boundaries.”