January 2021

‘Extremely dangerous’ Newport paedophile back behind bars

A convicted paedophile set up a fake online identity, contacted a 12-year-old girl and started seeing a woman with a child after his release from prison.

Convicted child rapist Louis Beagen, 27, from Newport, used a bogus Instagram account and trawled dating websites, prosecutor Nuhu Gobir said.

Judge Daniel Williams told Beagen his actions in contacting the young schoolgirl were “sinister”.

He added: “The pre-sentence report says you pose a high risk of reoffending. You are extremely dangerous.”

Beagen, of Ennerdale Court, Newport, was jailed for more than six years in 2014 for raping a girl and using social media to groom victims.

In 2018, he was locked up for 18 months after being snared by two paedophile hunter groups for further grooming offences.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how the defendant was subject to strict conditions following his release from custody over his use of the internet and electronic devices. 

Mr Gobir said Beagen, who has to register as a sex offender for life, had even sent an Instagram friend request to a prison officer.

He pleaded guilty to seven counts of breaching a sexual harm order and failing to comply with sex offender register notifications. 

The offences were committed between June and October 2020.

Judge Williams told Beagen: “You met one woman on a dating website and visited her on multiple occasions, including a weekend when her 13-year-old child was there.

“She didn’t know of your previous convictions.

“You met another woman on a dating site and stayed at her home.”

The defendant was jailed for two years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge upon his release from prison.

November 2018

Convicted child rapist jailed after being snared by paedophile hunter groups

A child rapist who was caught by two paedophile hunter groups after he tried to groom underage girls for sex on Facebook is behind bars again.

Convicted sex offender Louis Beagen was snared by two organisations called Guardians of the North and Dark Justice, Newport Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Gareth James said the 24-year-old defendant was jailed for more than five years in 2014 for rape, sexual activity with a child and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

His three victims from those proceedings were girls under 16.

Mr James told how Beagen, formerly of Ennerdale Court, Newport, in his new offences, had got his innocent father arrested after he hacked his Facebook account.

He also used his dad’s mobile phone and iPad to contact what he thought were three girls, two who were aged 13 and one 14.

But Judge Daniel Williams was told that he was in fact in touch with members of the paedophile hunter groups who had set up fictitious Facebook accounts.

Mr James said that Beagen had sent them explicit photographs of himself and asked them if they wanted to have full sexual intercourse with him

He said that his father had been initially arrested as a suspect for the crimes before it became apparent to police he was entirely blameless, adding: “One can only imagine how he felt.”

Mr James added that Guardians of the North and Dark Justice had travelled to Newport to present Gwent Police with the evidence in the case.

Beagen pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

In sentencing Beagen, Judge Williams said he could have imposed a longer prison term on him had he been charged with the more serious offence of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity which he inferred he should have been.

The defendant was jailed for 18 months and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

May 2014

‘Bullying’ Newport man Louis Beagen is locked after raping girl and grooming underage victims on Facebook

A MAN who groomed young girls for sex using social media and raped one has been locked up for six years and four months.

Louis Beagen, 20, of Ennerdale court, Newport, was described as “bullying” and “dictatorial” by Judge William Gaskell when he appeared before Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to rape, three counts of sexual activity with a child and a further two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The charges relate to three girls under the age of 16 at the time of the offences.

Christopher Rees, prosecuting, told the court Beagen groomed young girls through Facebook in order to indulge in unlawful sexual intercourse.

The court heard Beagan had sent one girl sexually explicit private messages and arranged to meet her.

Mr Rees told the court heard Beagen raped her after ‘plying’ her with alcohol, raping her in front of his friend and another girl, who were having sex in the same room.

He said: “She was scared, she did not want to do it. He told her to shut up and stop being stupid. She told him to stop. During the rape he bragged to his friend about what he was doing.”

The court also heard he sent sexually explicit messages to the other two girls, pestering them to meet him for sex.

The court heard he invited them to his house, and although one of them visited him, she claimed they did not have sex, although Beagen did kiss her.

The third girl told police Beagen initiated contact sending her a Facebook message. She said he persistently sexually messaged her, until he eventually told her he would stop sending her messages if she would have sex with him. He was 19 at the time, although he told her he was 16 or 17.

Defence barrister Marian Lewis said the defendant was immature for his age and had no previous convictions. He was remorseful, ashamed and embarrassed, but was not a ‘mature predator of young girls’.

Judge Gaskell told Beagen: “You utilised the social network Facebook to groom these three young girls.”

Of the offences against the first girl, he said: “You simply used her as a spittoon of your sexual desires.

“You raped her. She made it clear that she did not want to. She told you to stop, but you persisted. You were crude and rough with her, telling her to stop being stupid.

“You were bullying, you were dictatorial, you humiliated her in the presence of other young people, boasting about what you were doing.

“Your behaviour is utterly contemptible. No one who hears what you have done to these girls can do anything but despise you.”

Beagan will spend the first part of his sentence in a young offenders’ institution before moving to prison. He was also placed under an indefinite sexual offences prevention order, which bans him from living with a child under 16 unless social services give approval.

Officer in the case, DC Carrie Cole said: “We welcome today’s result and hope that the victims can now get some closure.”