July 2015 Former army cadet leader who abused three young boys loses appeal A former care home worker and army cadet leader who abused three young boys has been told by top judges he deserved every day of his jail term. Ex-soldier Thomas Reginald Bean groomed his victims before molesting them in the 1990s at a care home and a cadet camp. The 68-year-old, of Newport Road, Rumney, Cardiff, was jailed for 16 years at the city’s crown court in February. He was found guilty of 22 counts of indecent assault and two of attempted rape. Bean challenged his sentence at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, with his lawyers arguing it was “too long” overall. But his complaints were rejected by three senior judges, who said the sentence was “not excessive” for his sickening crimes. Bean’s victims detailed the traumatic impact the offences had on their lives and said they would never be able to get over it. All three boys were aged under 16 when Bean preyed on them. Dismissing his appeal, Mrs Justice Lang said the crimes were so serious that they justified a jail term longer than the guidelines suggested. Sitting with Lord Justice Davis and Mr Justice Lewis, she added: “In our judgment, the sentence passed was neither wrong in principle, nor manifestly excessive. “We consider the judge was entitled to take the approach he did.” February 2015 Care home worker jailed for 16 years after abusing young boys in the 1990s A care home worker and army cadet leader has been jailed for 16 years for abusing young boys. Thomas Bean, 67, was convicted by a jury of 22 counts of indecent assault and two offences of attempted rape. Cardiff Crown Court heard the offences were committed in the 1990’s when Bean targeted three boys. The offences took place at a care home in Cardiff, at Bean’s own home and away at an army cadet camp. In victim impact statements, two of the boys, now men in their 30s said they would never be able to get over what he had done to them. One wrote that he had been traumatised all over again by having to relive what happened to him in court when Bean denied the offences and took his case to trial. He said for two decades he had suffered in silence, trying to hide what had been done to him. “You were supposed to look after me. I trusted you and the council trusted you but I was part of your sick games, he said. “You are the lowest of the low and you made me relive it. I can never forgive you.” All three had had to face telling a jury the intimate details of their sexual abuse and had been cross examined on their evidence. Another, again addressing his statement directly to his abuser, wrote: “I have tried to live with what you have done to me for 20 years but it is always on my mind. “The only reason you wanted to spend time with me was to sexually abuse me. “Then I was too young to understand, thought you were being friendly but you were manipulating me.” Matthew Roberts, defending, said there was another side to Bean and many boys he knew at that time still held him in high regard. He said Bean, of Newport Road, Cardiff, was a husband and father and “others will suffer too by him being in prison”. Judge Philip Richards said such was the extent Bean’s depravity and readiness to use young men for his own sexual purposes, that it was necessary to impose a sexual offences prevention order to keep him away from boys in the future when he is released from his 16-year term. He said the boy who Bean indecently assaulted repeatedly and attempted to rape had been sensitive and intelligent and was caused anguish and pain which was bound to have a lasting effect on him. The judge described the assaults on the other two boys as a catalogue of abuse. “You were supposed to be caring for them but you carried out a campaign of indecency against them both. “You groomed them, inviting them to your home and introducing them to games and modes of transport of which they had no experience. “The city of Cardiff trusted you to look after them but you decided to abuse them and used your army connections to advance your depravity when they were meant to look to you to teach them right from wrong”. Bean, who had no previous convictions, will be on the sex offenders’ register for the rest of his life.