Bournemouth man jailed for sex offences against children

Stephen Paul Beale, 61 and formerly of Moore Avenue, was convicted of 11 counts of sexual assault on child under 13, nine counts of sexual assault on a child under 16, rape of a child under 13 and one count of prohibited images of a child following a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court that concluded on 24 May.

He was sentenced at the same court on 14 June, to a total of 16 years in prison, plus a one-year licence extension under Section 236A of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 for offenders of particular concern. This extension also means that Beale will not be released after serving half of his prison sentence but his release on licence will be subject to a discretionary release by the Parole Board between the halfway point and the end point of the custodial term.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

The offences dated back to the 1980s and 1990s in the Dorset area.

Beale indecently assaulted his victims on many occasions. They were all aged between five and 14 at the time of the offending.

DC Jo Shewbridge, of Dorset Police’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, said, “Firstly, I want to praise the five victims in this case for having the bravery to report these offences and support the investigation and prosecution. Beale’s despicable offending has had a profound impact on them and they have all shown immense courage in attending court to give evidence.

“No sentence will ever compensate for what they have been through, but I hope the conclusion of this case will bring them some closure to help them move forward with their lives, knowing Beale is now behind bars.

“Throughout the investigation Beale continued to deny the allegations, but the jury saw through this pretence and found him guilty of all the offences.

“I also hope that the outcome of this case will give other victims of sexual abuse the confidence to report offences. We will investigate all reports of abuse, no matter when they were committed.”

The Dorset Police Child Abuse Investigation Team (CAIT) is staffed by experienced, handpicked detectives that investigate instances of child abuse, including child sexual abuse, and work to bring offenders to justice.

In the last two months the team has achieved sentences of 14 years, 12 years and 15 years for different defendants for separate investigations, reflecting how seriously the courts take these cases.

These outcomes not only punish the suspect for their actions but also protect other children from that individual. In addition, after offenders are released from prison, extended and onerous licence conditions as a sex offender are implemented to allow authorities to minimise any future risk.