7 September 2003
The Sunday Mirror
By AMANDA REVELL WALTON
EXCLUSIVE How many more times will this man be let out of prison to attack women?
A SEX assault victim was last night horrified to learn that the serial offender who attacked her has been set free early - for the THIRD time.
Gregory Beach, 33, was released after only two years and five months despite the fact that he reoffended twice before when freed.
Beach broke into Claire Murray's house, dragged her into her garden and subjected her to a sickening indecent assault.
At the time he was living in a bail hostel after being freed from prison where he had been serving his second term behind bars for sex attacks on women. Now he is out for a third time, living on a housing estate packed with young families and wandering unsupervised around local shops.
When Beach was jailed for attacking Claire, an expert's report damned him as "a habitual sexual offender simply unable to control his deviant urges".
Despite this he was released early after serving just over half of his four-year sentence.
Because of loopholes in the law and lax sentencing he is once more on the loose - sparking fury among campaigners and MPs.
The outcry comes after pervert James Taylor was jailed for just five years this week for the rape of a baby girl.
Reliving the night Beach attacked her, Claire, 25, told the Sunday Mirror: "I went to the kitchen and I saw this man going towards the back door.
"I was rooted to the spot in fear. He grabbed me and started kissing me and tried to get my clothes off.
"He was pulling my knickers down and put his hand over my mouth. I was thinking, 'I can't escape, it's going to happen, he's going to rape me'.
"I could feel myself giving up as he got me out the back door.
"I had one last try at getting away. Somehow I managed it. He would have raped me if I hadn't."
Claire, whose name we have changed to protect her anonymity, said: "I can't understand why he has been let out early again. I feel totally and utterly betrayed."
Beach struck at Claire's home in Oxford on October 15, 2000 and was jailed in March, 2001, for four years for the indecent assault.
He was freed a fortnight ago with time off for good behaviour.
Before attacking Claire, Beach had been released from jail in December, 1998. He was three years and seven months into a six-year jail term for a sex attack on a nanny.
The nanny, who we are naming only as Michelle, was attacked two days before Christmas in 1994.
Beach told her he had a knife and forced her twice to perform oral sex on him - in front of the two-year-old child she was caring for. Half-way through the ordeal, Michelle, 26 at the time, was physically sick. Yet still Beach persisted and Michelle was sick again. Only the return of the child's parents spared her being raped.
On his release from prison for this attack, Beach was sent to a probation hostel 100 yards from Claire's house.
Claire said: "I never even knew it was there. It sends shivers down my spine to think about it.
"After what that woman went through it just beggars belief that he was able to break into my house and attack me, too."
But even Michelle was not Beach's first victim.
He had repeatedly cornered women in lifts or in dark corners after following them home.
Then, in August 1987, 17-year-old Beach pleaded guilty to five indecent assaults on five women living on the same council estate as him in Battersea, South West London.
He was sentenced to three years in youth custody. He was set free just a year later.
Now, released from Bullingdon Jail in Oxfordshire, he has been housed in yet another hostel in yet another residential area.
The Sunday Mirror is aware of the location. For the last two weeks our reporters have watched as Beach wanders the neighbourhood unchecked. No one at the hostel knows where he is going and as long as he is back for the 11pm curfew no questions are asked. His room at the hostel looks out on to green space where children play football and ride their bikes. Beach has been on sex offender treatment programmes, but a report by forensic psychologist Andrew Bates says he has not changed. The report to the judge who dealt with Beach's last offence says: "Mr Beach is simply unable to control his deviant urges and does not respond to the treatment that is offered him."
It adds: "He is an intelligent man who had learned the methods of avoiding re-offence but simply has chosen not to apply them. I am unable to make any recommendations as he is simply unable to control his deviant urges."
It also says: "Working on deviant sexual fantasies requires very strong commitment on the part of the offender and this would not seem to be present in this case. Mr Beach's dysfunctional response to stress is to sexually fantasise and then offend sexually and this is what he chose to do..." A prison source said: "Beach has had more treatment this time, but no one is convinced. He is still a risk to every woman."
During his last spell in prison Beach pulled out of a treatment programme after 10 months.
The source added: "It is a worrying situation. The truth is that no woman is safe while he's out there."
At present, there is no law to stop untreatable sex offenders being released after serving as much of their sentence as ordinary prisoners - normally half if they behave well. Which is why men like Paul Roson, Raymond Hewlett and Graham Rankine - on the right-were allowed out to re-offend.
Legislation going through Parliament will enable sex offenders to be kept in jail indefinitely if thought to be a danger to the public. But former Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe said: "There is nothing at all wrong with the law but a lot wrong with the way it is being implemented."
Norman Brennan, of the Victims of Crime Trust, said: "The maximum sentence for indecent assault is 10 years. Isn't it time some of these people were given higher sentences?"
And Sue Griffiths, of charity Rape Crisis, said: "Our judges are not rooted in this world. Beach should definitely still be behind bars."
The outcry comes amid the row over baby rapist Taylor, 43, of Falkirk, Stirlingshire, who took photographs of himself in the act.
Judge Lord Reed refused to comment on the lenient sentence. But Scotland's top law official, Lord Advocate Colin Boyd QC, has ordered a report into the case.
AUG 1987
JAILED
Three years in youth custody for sex attacks on five women
AUG 1988
FREED
after 12 months
MAY 1995
JAILED
Six years for sex assault on nanny in front of child, aged 2
DEC 1998
FREED
after 43 months
MAR 2001
JAILED
Four years for indecently assaulting a woman at home
AUG 2003
FREED
after 32 months
NEXT?
FREED TO REOFFEND
1
PAUL ROBSON, 37
PERVERT Robson has been sent to prison three times for a string of horrific sex attacks. Each time he has been allowed back into the community he has committed more crimes on women and children.
Robson, also known as Tony Swift, was first sent to jail for sex attacks on two girls aged 11 and 12. He was sentenced to four years in prison. But just four months after his release in 1990, he abducted and sexually assaulted an eight-year-old girl in Morecambe, Lancs.
Robson was then sentenced to eight years for abduction and assault. He was released in September 1996, and in June 1997 he was jailed for five years for falsely imprisoning a 34-year-old woman.
He was released just three years into his sentence in February 2000, despite begging to be kept in jail.
Two weeks later, he struck again, breaking into a young woman's home before tying her up and subjecting her to a sexual attack at knifepoint.
He was arrested two days later, and in August 2000 was given two life sentences at Oxford Crown Court for two charges of attempted rape and two of indecent assault. He could be paroled nine years into his sentence.
2
RAYMOND HEWLETT, 58
SICK Hewlett remains at large despite committing a string of attacks against women and children.
Hewlett, 58, first struck in 1972 when he lured his neighbour's 12-year-old daughter into his car, knocked her out with paint thinner and raped her.
He was sentenced to 18 months' jail at Leeds Crown Court in 1973, but served just 12.
In 1978 he attempted to rape a girl of 14, holding a gun to her head, and was jailed for four years.
After serving 16 months, he was allowed out yet again. On New Year's Day, 1988, Hewlett kidnapped and indecently assaulted a 14-year-old girl on her paper round.He was jailed for six years at Mold Crown Court.
Hewlett was granted home leave from Stoken Prison, Leicestershire, in 1990, but absconded. He was arrested in 1991 and was jailed.
In 1992 he was released and questioned over the murder of schoolgirl Lesley Molseed.
He was bailed to reappear at the police station in February, 1993, but fled to Ireland.
Charges were dropped and police have lost track of him. He is wanted for questioning over various child abductions.
3
GRAHAM RANKINE, 45
EVIL Rankine was finally given two life sentences in May 2000 after a lifelong campaign of hate against women.
Rankine was 18 when he was first arrested for having unlawful sex with a girl of 13 at a hotel.
In 1976, while on bail for that offence, he carried out his first rape - on a 16-year-old girl.
Six weeks later he attacked another girl, this time aged 17.
For all three offences he was sent to borstal for just six months.
When released, Rankine held an 18-year-old virgin hostage in his Southampton bedsit for hours and subjected her to an horrific rape.
He was remanded in custody by magistrates only to strike again three months later...after being granted bail by a judge.
This time his victim was a 17-year-old girl, who he raped in the same bedsit. He was given a life sentence in 1989.
In 1999 he was released on licence after just 10 years - and almost immediately raped a 30-year-old Oxford University lecturer.
During the attack he repeatedly smashed her head against a wall as she begged for mercy.
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Labels:
Lesley Molseed,
No. Ireland,
Raymond Hewlett
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