Man who sexually abused teenager is brought to justice

A sex abuse victim has told of her overwhelming relief after her attacker has been brought to justice 35 years after he had terrorised her.
Pictured is Derby Crown Court.Pictured is Derby Crown Court.
Pictured is Derby Crown Court.

The 48-year-old Chesterfield woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was molested by family friend Terence John Beebe, 67, of Lime Walk, Long Sutton, in Spalding, over nearly three years in the 1980s when she was aged between 12 and 15.

Derby Crown Court heard, during a trial which finished on Friday, February 10, how Beebe was found guilty of four counts of indecent assault from between November, 1981, to June, 1984.

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His victim told the Derbyshire Times: “When I found out he had been found guilty and remanded in custody I felt I could take off and fly. It was such a weight off my mind.

“I am definitely glad I went through with this because I now feel like a different person.”

The complainant began emailing Beebe, who used to live and work in the Chesterfield area, with accusations when the Jimmy Savile revelations hit the headlines.

Her emails included comments about “names coming out of the woodwork”, “I bet there are more than a few quaking in their boots waiting to get the knock on the door”, and the final email stated she hoped Beebe would complain because “it would open a whole can of festering worms”.

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The complainant said the offending began in November, 1981, when she claimed Beebe had said he would “show her the way into womanhood”.

She told the court she was abused at Beebe’s former bungalow in Inkersall, in his car, at a gym and at a house in Hollingwood and she had felt terrified and conditioned and been scared of the consequences of speaking out.

The complainant said she was subjected to kissing, had her genitals and breasts touched and she had been made to touch the defendant’s genitals and been forced to perform oral sex.

She told the Derbyshire Times: “It’s been very painful for me and my family who have had this bomb dropped on them. Everyone has been so supportive and I cannot think of having better family and friends and the police have been absolutely brilliant.”

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Beebe claimed the complainant had had an infatuation with him and he told police when he received the emails between 2012 and 2014 he had deleted them because he did not like confrontation.

But a jury found Beebe guilty on four counts of indecent assault.

He was also accused of allegedly raping the complainant at his garage business and during a family holiday.

But he was found not guilty of committing rape between November and December, 1981, and the jury failed to return a verdict on a further count of alleged rape from between December, 1981, and June, 1984, which is being re-considered by the CPS.

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Beebe was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced on Thursday, February 16.

The complainant feels it is important victims in similar cases come forward to bring offenders to justice and to stop them re-offending.

She added: “This case proves justice can be done after all this time. It was a frightening experience to have to go back to where you were all that time ago but I would say to anyone in a similar position that it is important to get it out there.”