CPS blunder causes paedophile teacher to avoid jail

A blunder by the Crown Prosecution Service led to a paedophile teacher fleeing to Mexico to avoid a prison sentence for historical child sex abuse. According to a High Court judge, prosecutors made a "significant and serious error" by not seeking extradition for Roderick Beaumont.

66-year-old Beaumont left the UK in 2016 while waiting to be sentenced for a child grooming offence at Airdrie Sheriff Court in Scotland. In his absence, a historical sex abuse case was held against him at Warwick Crown Court for offences he committed while he was a teacher more than 40 years ago.

Beaumont was found guilty and sentenced in absentia to four years' imprisonment. He had a further five years added to his sentence by the judge who branded him, "a clear and present danger to children".

The Crown Prosecution Service in England did not seek his extradition and "assumed" he could serve the sentence for the Warwick offences after he had been dealt with in Scotland. However, a rule in the Extradition Act means that a person may not be dealt with for offences that predate, and do not form the basis of the extradition request.

Beaumont, of Dundee, was taken back to Scotland last year and sentenced to 12 months in prison for the Airdrie offence. This was subsequent to the Lord Advocate issuing a request to the Mexican authorities for his extradition.

A lawyer for the CPS admitted she did not know about the rule which means Beaumont's sentence is now "treated as served".

Issuing his judgment, Lord Justice Lewis said: "It seems that it was assumed that the defendant could be dealt with for the Warwick offences, after he had been dealt with in Scotland. The failure to appreciate there would be a problem with specialty was 'a significant and serious error".

A CPS spokesperson said it was "considering the judgment". They added: "In the meantime we have ensured lessons are learnt so this does not happen again."
 

Whitestone Solicitors

Rochdale