CYRIL BEACH SENTENCED FOR RAPE IN PENTRE AND RHONDDA

In October 2002, Cyril Beach, a 56-year-old former miner from Pentre, Rhondda, was handed a substantial prison sentence after being convicted of multiple serious sexual offenses involving two young girls. The case drew significant attention due to the heinous nature of the crimes and the manipulative tactics employed by the offender.

Beach was found guilty of repeatedly abusing two girls, one of whom was as young as eight years old at the time of the assaults. The allegations detailed that the abuse took place in his garden shed, a location that allowed him to exploit a sense of privacy and trust. Initially, Beach denied the accusations, vehemently asserting his innocence. However, before the case could proceed to trial, he fled the area with his girlfriend, relocating to Cheltenham. During this period, he took steps to alter his appearance in an apparent attempt to evade justice, complicating efforts by law enforcement to apprehend him.

Merthyr Crown Court heard the case, and Judge John Curran did not hold back in his condemnation of Beach’s actions. He praised South Wales Police for their diligent work in bringing the case to court and emphasized the severity of the crimes by ordering that Beach be registered as a sex offender for life. The judge described the defendant as a manipulative individual with a psychotic personality, explicitly stating that someone with such traits should not have unsupervised access to children.

Beach’s criminal record includes six charges of raping the two girls. The younger victim was between six and eight years old at the time of the assaults, while the older girl, now 34, was 13 when the abuse occurred. The court sentenced him to ten years in prison for each of these counts, with the sentences to run concurrently. Additionally, Beach admitted to indecently assaulting the older girl, which resulted in an 18-month sentence to run concurrently. He also received a nine-month sentence for attempting to evade justice, a crime he freely admitted.

The prosecution, led by Huw Evans, revealed that the older victim had endured two rapes by Beach when she was between 13 and 15 years old. She recounted that Beach had threatened her with violence during the assaults and had silenced her cries, telling her that what was happening was natural and that he loved her. Mr. Evans further disclosed that Beach had forced her to perform a sex act, an experience so distressing that it made her physically ill.

In his defense, Peter Heyward highlighted that Beach’s guilty pleas meant the victims would not be required to testify in court, thereby sparing them further trauma. He also mentioned that Beach had previously suffered spinal injuries in a pit accident, which he implied might have contributed to his behavior. Nonetheless, the court’s verdict underscored the gravity of the offenses and the need for lifelong supervision to protect others from potential harm.