HEALTH AND WELFARE OFFICER JAILED FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES AGAINST FEMALE PUPILS
Neil Clarke Beckett, a former Army Cadet Leader and Health and Welfare Officer, has been sentenced to imprisonment on Friday, December 6th, after being found guilty of multiple sexual offences involving teenage girls he supervised.Hailing from Kilmore Village in Crossgar, Beckett assaulted and made inappropriate contact with nine female students aged 14 to 17 during the 2022-2023 academic years at Belfast's Lagan College.
In the same legal proceedings, he was also convicted of sexual misconduct against two other young females aged 12 to 16, both of whom participated in the Army Cadets, with incidents occurring between 2014 and 2019.
The 43-year-old was taken into custody and faced 26 charges of sexual assault, as well as one charge each for sexual communication with a minor and sexual grooming.
Today, he was sentenced at Belfast Crown Court to a total of three years, including an 18-month prison term and an 18-month period on licence.
A five-year Sexual Offences Protection Order was also issued, and he will be registered as a sex offender indefinitely.