School didn't do enough to stop abuse - victims of jailed welfare officer

The girls were pupils at Lagan College

A school did not do enough to prevent abuse inflicted by its former welfare officer, his victims have said.

Neil Beckett, who was convicted of sexual assault and sexual grooming, targeted nine schoolgirls and used his position at Lagan College in Belfast to access vulnerable young women.

Two of the former Army cadet leader's victims have claimed the school was aware of allegations made against Beckett as he continued his assaults and said it was a "kick in the teeth".

Lagan College said it "acted properly and promptly" in accordance with its child protection and safeguarding policy.

• LISTEN: Neil Beckett's victims speak to The State of Us podcast

After joining the school in 2021, allegations were made against Beckett by two pupils in October 2022.

Two other victims of Beckett, who have spoken to The State of Us podcast anonymously, believe the school wasted crucial opportunities to safeguard pupils from further harm.

Both Ann and Jane – not their real names – said the majority of the abuse they suffered by Beckett happened after the initial allegations were made against him.

"That just felt like a bit of a kick in the teeth that they knew about this," Jane said.

"There'd been allegations made before it had happened to us.

"The fact that the school didn't do enough to prevent it then is ridiculous."

'They could have prevented this'

Ann said: "They could have prevented this, they could have stopped it there in October and we wouldn't have faced as much abuse as we did, but they didn't.

"I don't think that's how a school should handle themselves."

Beckett, 44, from Kilmore, near Crossgar in County Down, was found guilty of 16 counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual grooming in October.

As well as the nine Lagan College pupils he targeted, charges were also brought by two Army cadets.

The offences occurred over an eight-year period between 2015 and 2023.

A judge sentenced Beckett to a total of three years - 18 months in prison and 18 months out on licence.

One pupil said Beckett hugged her and kissed her on the cheek, and another said he had given her a hug under her blazer.

Lagan College principal, Amanda McNamee, gave evidence during the trial and said the school safeguarding team was involved after the initial allegations were made and that she took Beckett through the school's safeguarding policy and his job description "line by line".

Mrs McNamee told the court that the parents involved were content with the school's actions.

Neil Beckett was convicted in December

Beckett then continued in his role as before and within a few months, in early 2023, further allegations were brought to Mrs McNamee and a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) investigation began.

Speaking to BBC News NI, some parents of his victims said the school failed in their duty to support and care for pupils.

One mother said the priority for Lagan College "was managing their public image, not looking after the girls who had been harmed".

Another parent said the school showed an "aloofness and detachment" when dealing with the harm done to his daughter.

A third parent claimed the school had taken "no responsibility and wishes to pretend this didn't happen".

Both Jane and Ann recalled a school assembly where, they said, the school principal told pupils that "people are innocent until proven guilty" and "we should not be talking about it".

They said the reason given for this was "in case they had to be on the stand in the future".

'Portrayed himself as a friend'

Jane said her mum received an email from the school's board of governors after she had left school, which said there was nothing more they could do as she was a former pupil.

She added they would like an acknowledgment of the hurt caused "but they're not going to do that".

"There was a grooming pattern of [Beckett] trying to befriend people, he didn't portray himself as a teacher, he portrayed himself as a friend," Jane said.

"He wanted to get close to you. He wanted you to let your guard down, and he used that."

Ann said: "He was unnervingly charismatic. Now that I look back he just had a way of talking to you that made you feel like you could tell him anything."

She said he had different ways of physically abusing his victims.

"I have a lot of sensory issues and he'd tickled me, and I felt really, really weird about it."

Wellbeing of pupils 'highest priority'

In a statement, Lagan College's board of governors said the safety and wellbeing of its pupils will always be the school's highest priority.

"We pay tribute to the bravery of those pupils who came forward and we assure you that the school acted properly and promptly and in accordance with Lagan College's child protection and safeguarding policy, which adheres to Department of Education guidance, at all times, as outlined during the trial," they continued.

"Mr Beckett had worked in a school environment prior to joining Lagan College, and received a clear Enhanced Disclosure Certificate from Access NI, and had appropriate references for his position.

"We are unable to comment any further at this stage to ensure that we do not prejudice legal action."

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