A former school health and welfare officer and Army Cadet leader has been sentenced to three years for sexual offences committed against nine teenage girls.
The charges relate to seven pupils at Lagan College school in south Belfast and two Army Cadets. All the teenage victims were targeted by Neil Clarke Beckett whilst he held a position of authority.
The sentenced was divided equally between 18 months in prison followed by 18 months on supervised licence.
He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period and was made the subject of a five year Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
As he imposed the sentence at Belfast Crown Court, Judge Philip Gilpin told the convicted sex offender that he was his offending was protracted and committed against vulnerable victims. The 44-year old father-of-one, from Kilmore Village in Downpatrick, stood trial earlier this year on a total of 29 charges against 11 complainants which he denied.
These charges consisted of one count of rape, one count of sexual communication with a child, one count of sexual grooming and 26 counts of sexual assault. At the conclusion of the five-week trial, the jury deliberated for two days before returning unanimous ‘guilty’ verdicts on one count of sexual grooming and 16 counts of sexual assault which were committed between December 2015 and February 2023.
Whilst Beckett was acquitted of raping and sexually assaulting an Army Cadet, he was convicted of sexually grooming her. He was also convicted of sexually abusing a second Army Cadet by hugging, kissing and tickling her. Regarding the Lagan College pupils, Beckett was convicted of sexually abusing seven pupils and cleared of offences against a further two complainants.
The abuse the teenage girls endured consisted of Beckett hugging, kissing and tickling them whilst in his position of power within the school and of touching some of the girls thighs under their skirts. All the victims gave evidence during the trial and the jury heard that Beckett’s inappropriate behaviour made them feel ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘uneasy’ and that his behaviour was ‘weird.’
As he stood in the dock, Judge Gilpin told Beckett: “In relation to the various acts - whether they be hugging, touching, kissing, tickling or rubbing - it is important to remember in this sentencing exercise that there was more to what you did than just these physical acts.
“The jury were satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that when you acted as they found you did, on each of those occasions you did so for sexual purposes.” The Judge said that after reading Victim Impact Statements, it was clear that Beckett’s offending had affected all those he abused. Judge Gilpin added that an aggravating factor in the case was that despite being questioned by police in July 2020 regarding his conduct with the Army Cadets, Beckett continued his criminality by abusing pupils at Lagan College after he took up his position within the school in June 2021.
The Judge also noted that despite being spoken to by the school principle in October 2022 after complaints were made, Beckett continuing abusing girls and was ultimately suspended in January 2023. Following the convictions in October of this year, Beckett was dismissed from his role as Lagan College’s health and welfare officer by the school’s Board of Governors. As parents of the children abused by Beckett sat in the public gallery, Judge Gilpin imposed the sentence then told prison staff to “take him down.”