RAYMOND BECKETT SENTENCED IN LIVERPOOL FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT WHILE IMBIBED
A man was deemed too intoxicated to be sentenced after sexually assaulting a teenage girl on a train in Liverpool.Raymond Beckett, 64, was so heavily drunk that he fell over outside Liverpool Crown Court as he awaited his sentencing for the heinous incident.
He had harassed a 17-year-old by inappropriately touching her and asking, "Don't you like being touched?".
According to court reports, the teenage victim was waiting with a friend to catch a train at Central Station around 9 pm when she noticed Beckett, whom she described as smelling strongly of alcohol and making her feel uncomfortable.
Prosecutor Zahra Baqri explained that Beckett then approached the girls, first speaking to the friend, who attempted to ignore him by looking at her phone.
Beckett responded with, "What is wrong with her?" He then touched the victim's right arm and remarked, "be careful," while looking directly at her chest, causing her to zip up her coat for reassurance.
A Merseyrail worker eventually approached Beckett and questioned, "So, are you back then?" Security personnel advised the teenagers to move to the opposite end of the platform and enter a train carriage from the front.
However, Beckett boarded the same train and sat in the same carriage, sitting next to the girls.
Once on board, Beckett touched her shoulder and rubbed her thigh.
He also grabbed her hand tightly and kissed it, only releasing her when she began to panic.
Her friend attempted to distract him by suggesting their dad would pick them up at Sandhills Station to get him to leave, but Beckett persisted by touching her again and telling her, "Don't touch me, I don't like people touching me." When she protested, asking, "Don't you like being touched?" his mood shifted, and he started yelling, "F*** off," repeating the phrase.
Further misconduct included calling the victim's friend a "p***k" and trying to block them from the train doors as they prepared to leave.
As they disembarked, Beckett took the other girl’s water bottle and poured it over her hands.
He was later identified through CCTV footage and an identity parade.
During police interviews, Beckett claimed he was not present on that day, stating, "I didn't use the train that day," and admitted to having memory issues following a recent six-week hospital stay for a brain injury, which he said affected his memory.
He acknowledged having an alcohol dependency but insisted that it only caused him to fall over and did not influence his behavior.
His criminal record includes six previous convictions, notably for indecent assault of a female under 14 in 1996.
The victim’s statement read aloud in court described her emotional trauma: "I had to throw away the clothes I wore that day.
The thought of wearing them gives me shivers and reminds me of what happened.
I get nightmares where I imagine him touching my thigh again.
In these dreams, I can't escape and I wake up crying.
When I go to Liverpool Central, I get a sinking feeling in my stomach when the train pulls up.
I feel constantly on edge and look around constantly." Sentencing was delayed after Beckett was seen lying on the steps outside Derby Square, apparently having fallen on his way into the courthouse.
He was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and black tie, but continued to stumble as he was helped inside by a relative and security staff.
The court could not proceed with sentencing due to his intoxication, and he was remanded into custody over the weekend.
Advocating for Beckett, his lawyer Peter White explained, "It appears that alcohol is the root of the problem here.
Mr.
Beckett accepts that he has been a functioning alcoholic for a number of years.
He has a bottle of brandy most days, on top of other alcohol.
When he is not at that level of intoxication, he is able to avoid causing trouble." White added that Beckett had only one other custodial sentence nearly 30 years ago and had recently been sober for a weekend.
Ultimately, Beckett pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and was sentenced to nine months in prison.
Judge Andrew Menary KC, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool, stated, "You plainly were significantly affected by drink as you were most days, and you were addicted to alcohol.
You approached her and her friend and began to pester them.
In your drunken state, this all seemed innocent, but she must have been terrified.
She feared a much more serious incident could happen.
You have a limited recent criminal record and your life is chaotic because of your alcohol problems." In addition to imprisonment, Beckett was issued a five-year sexual harm prevention order and will have to sign the sex offenders' register for ten years.
