Former school welfare officer jailed for sexually assaulting children

A former school welfare officer and Army cadet leader who was convicted of sexual assaulting teenage girls has been given a three-year sentence at a court in Belfast.

Neil Beckett, from Kilmore Village in Downpatrick, Co Down, was found guilty in October of 17 offences against 11 victims - one count of sexual grooming and 16 of sexual assault.

He will serve 18 months in jail and 18 months on supervised licence.

He was acquitted of 12 other charges: one of rape, one of sexual communication with a child and 10 counts of sexual assault.

Nine of his victims were students at Lagan College and two were teenage Army cadets. The crimes spanned eight years between 2015 and 2023.

The court in Belfast heard that Beckett groomed his victims and twice called at the home of one of the teenagers.

He hugged, kissed and tickled some of the girls, rubbed the leg of one of the teenagers as she lay on a medical bed in the school, and touched another student's leg in a wet room.

Judge Philip Gilpin told the court that Beckett had abused his trust and authority at the school, and that his victims were vulnerable.

"In relation to the various acts that I have made mention of, 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," he added.

"The jury were satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that when you acted as they find you did on each of those occasions, you did so for sexual purposes."

Beckett's victims previously told the court that at the time of the offending, they felt uneasy and uncomfortable, describing his actions as "weird".

They described how his offending has had an impact on their relationships with people close to them, how they no longer feel safe and comfortable, and how it has affected their view of the world.

Others said his offending affected their ability to trust others and that their emotional stability had been significantly impaired.

Some of the pupils' mothers said it has been heartbreaking to see the impact on their children, and how their lives have been "irrevocably changed".

The court heard that Beckett joined the Army cadets as an instructor, and was later employed by Lagan College in August 2021 as the health wellbeing and medical officer.

He was suspended in January 2023 after complaints were made, and dismissed on the day the jury returned the guilty verdicts.

The court was told that Beckett wants to set up a business involving first aid and firearms training when he is released.

Judge Gilpin added: "Your offending did involve an abuse of trust and authority, whether as an Army cadet instructor or as a welfare officer at Lagan College.

"In the cadets, you had a particular authority in a generally hierarchical structure. At Lagan College, you were entrusted with responsibility for more vulnerable pupils in the school.

"Secondly, in this case, your victims were vulnerable. There are three aspects to their vulnerability. They were vulnerable by reason of their tender years. They were all of secondary school age, and I note that four of the nine were aged 16 and over.

"Secondly, I accept that at different degrees, all of your victims have their own particular characteristics that contributed to their vulnerability.

"I am satisfied that there was an element of grooming in relation to your offending. In some cases, you tried to befriend your victims. Some, you complimented their looks. Others, you bought them various coffees or hot chocolates, or gave them chocolates, and there was suggestions made that you would collude with them to break some of the rules that your victims were otherwise confined by.

"I am satisfied that you took steps to prevent some of your victims reporting the offences."

Judge Gilpin that while the offending did not involve skin-to-skin or contact with genitalia, these were not mitigating features but were part of the circumstances of his offending.

The judge added that Beckett has shown no empathy to his victims and claimed they made the complaints because they knew each other or saw online messages.

Beckett, who is married with one child, was ordered not to make direct or indirect contact with his victims and will be subject to a sexual offence prevention order (SOPO) for five years.

He is also subject to a restraining order in relation to all of his victims for five years and is disqualified from working with children and vulnerable people for 10 years.

In a statement, Francis Martin, chairman of the board of governors at Lagan College, said: "Lagan College wishes to acknowledge the courage and bravery of the young people who came forward to their parents and our child protection and safeguarding team, which has now led to the criminal conviction and sentencing of Mr Beckett.

"Throughout this process, Lagan College has fully engaged with the PSNI, the Children and Young People's Service at the Education Authority, and the Public Prosecution Service, outlining how policies and procedures were followed in relation to this serious safeguarding matter."