ROY BEALE SENTENCED IN DUDLEY FOR SEXUAL ASSAULTS ON YOUNG GIRL

In June 2014, Roy Beale, a 71-year-old pensioner, was sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of multiple sexual assaults against a young girl during the 1980s in Dudley.

At Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Nicholas Webb told Beale, who has grey hair and resided on Amblecote Road in Kidderminster, that his abuse had a "deep and damaging" impact on the victim, emphasizing that this effect was likely to persist. The judge remarked, "It seems likely that will continue," and added that the victim felt the abuse tainted all aspects of her life, leaving her burdened with a heavy weight.

Addressing Beale's defense claims, Judge Webb stated, "You claim naivety might have been behind what you did but clearly you cannot express responsibility for what happened." The judge also noted that after Beale's arrest, he initially told police that his victim had been lying, describing her as "mean and vicious."

Beale, from Amblecote Road, admitted to three counts of indecent assault, which the prosecution described as specimen counts. Prosecutor Samantha Powis characterized the abuse as systematic, stating, "This was systematic abuse of a very young girl over a number of years. The abuse was repeated and committed on a regular basis."

In his defense, Abigail Nixon, representing Beale, said the offending had ceased over 30 years ago and that her client had led an unblemished life since. She emphasized there had been no repetition of the offenses and described Beale as someone of positive good character.

The judge decided to leave other charges on file and ordered Beale to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.