THOMAS BEDDOW SENTENCED IN ST HELENS FOR SEXUAL OFFENCES INVOLVING A MINOR

In January 2016, Thomas Beddow was residing in St Helens. The case came to light after new evidence emerged in December 2012 when a concerned daughter of a convicted sex offender discovered disturbing messages on Facebook.

Beddow, whose daughter had previously ended his offending behavior, was subsequently jailed for molesting a 13-year-old girl. He believed he had evaded detection until his daughter found Facebook messages he had sent to another sex offender, leading her to report him to authorities.

The 56-year-old grandfather pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to two counts of sexual assault and one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He also admitted violating a sexual offenders' order. For his crimes, he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

Judge Thomas Teague QC stated that Beddow’s daughter spoke with the victim after discovering the Facebook messages, and she confirmed the abuse had taken place. When confronted, Beddow admitted his guilt but threatened to take his own life.

The court was informed that Beddow, of Rudd Avenue, Derbyshire Hill, had prior convictions, including a 27-month sentence for similar offences.

Defense solicitor Steven Swift noted that Beddow had fully admitted his guilt and had been considered a trusted prisoner while on remand.

In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Teague imposed an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order, prohibiting him from being alone with or in contact with anyone under 16, and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.