March 2021

Pervert finally jailed

A convicted predator who fled to Mexico while awaiting sentence for grooming a child has been locked up.

Self-styled lifestyle guru Roderick Beaumont, 65, was previously convicted of a historic attack on a child while working as a teacher.

Beaumont, formerly of Dundee’s Methven Walk, was allowed to fly from Edinburgh Airport to Albania while carrying 9,000 euros on December 3 2016 – two days before he was due to be sentenced at Airdrie Sheriff Court for the grooming offence.

The creep was eventually snared by police in March 2019 in Mexico where he had married a woman and was working as a life coach specialising in “youth impact coaching”.

Registered sex offender Beaumont was sentenced to 12 months in prison at Dundee Sheriff Court after he admitted failing to tell police about his travel plans.

Fiscal depute Marie Irvine revealed how border police were notified by security staff at Edinburgh Airport about Beaumont carrying the 9,000 euros.

She said: “Officers stopped and interviewed the accused and he stated that he was travelling to Amsterdam, onwards to Rome and then onto his final destination to Tirana in Albania.

“He was travelling alone and stated he had a return ticket with a return date of December 12 2016.

“When questioned about the cash, the accused stated he was using it to research and make a down payment for an apartment for him and his mother to ultimately move to.

“He appeared to be travelling with minimal luggage and his story appeared consistent with the way he presented and gave no additional cause for concern at that time.”

Inquiries were made and it was revealed that Beaumont was a registered sex offender but his journey was not prevented.

However, it was revealed that Beaumont had breached the terms of his registration after police in Dundee said he had not notified them of his travel plans.

Beaumont, a qualified pilot, failed to return to the UK and the National Crime Agency later found him in Mexico on March 11 2019. He was deported in December 2020.

The case called at Dundee Sheriff Court, where Beaumont appeared via video link.

Appearing via video link from HMP Barlinnie, he admitted failing to notify the police of his travel plans between November 22 and December 3 2016.

In October 2016, Beaumont admitted at Airdrie Sheriff Court to sending sexual messages to a child.

While on the run, a judge at Warwick Crown Court branded him a “clear and present danger to children” after he was found guilty of sexually attacking a child between 1979 and 1981.

Beaumont was sentenced to four years in prison in his absence and placed on the sex offender’s register for life.

Sheriff Carmichael jailed Beaumont at Dundee Sheriff Court for 12 months, which was backdated to December 10 2020.

April 2019: Now living with teen boy in Mexico and calls himself Rodrigo de la Cruz

November 2017

Former Solihull teacher jailed for child sex abuse

A FORMER Solihull teacher who is wanted by courts in England and Scotland has been jailed in his absence for sexually abusing a boy on a school trip more than 30 years ago.

Roderick Beaumont had been granted bail after pleading not guilty to two charges of indecently assaulting the nine-year-old boy around 1980.

But when the 62-year-old from Braehead, Methvan Walk in Dundee, failed to turn up for his trial at Warwick Crown Court, he was tried in his absence and convicted of both charges.

He was believed to have fled to Albania, and a warrant was issued for his arrest, after which a European arrest warrant was also granted.

Judge Andrew Lockhart QC, said Beaumont poses ‘a clear and present danger’ to children,’ and sentenced him in his absence.

Passing an extended sentence of four years, of which Beaumont will have to serve at least two-thirds before he can even be considered for parole, he also imposed a five-year extension to the time he will then spend on licence, and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.

When Beaumont, who is also subject to a warrant issued at Airdrie Sheriff Court in Scotland in October last year, is finally arrested, he will be brought before the court to be told of his sentence.

Prosecutor Graeme Simpson had told the jury that in around 1980 Beaumont, who now describes himself as a ‘global coach,’ was working as a teacher at a Solihull school.

During a school trip he had got a boy aged eight or nine out of his bed and taken him into another room where he got the boy to perform a sex act on him.

Then on a later occasion, at Beaumont’s home, he fondled the boy and got the boy to touch him.

The offences only came to light last year, and following his arrest Beaumont denied acting indecently towards the boy, and was granted bail.

Mr Simpson said the matter predated an indecent assault on a child under the age of 16 in 1983, for which he appeared at the court in 1984 and was given a six-month suspended sentence.

In October 2016 he pleaded guilty at Airdrie Sheriff Court to sending messages of a sexual nature to a 14-year-old boy.

On that occasion his case was adjourned with him on bail for reports to be prepared on him – and a warrant was issued for his arrest when he failed to turn up to be sentenced in December.

He was said to have caught a flight from Edinburgh to Albania with £9,000 in cash on him, but it is now rumoured he has since moved to Mexico.

Jailing Beaumont for the Solihull offence, Judge Lockhart observed: “There is a significant degree of planning, grooming behaviour and a breach of trust.

“He is 61 years of age, and the offending took place a long time ago, between 1979 and 1981. He had been a teacher at this young boy’s school, and they had been on a trip away.

“The case I tried was conducted in the absence of this defendant, and he was convicted of those two counts. At the time, the offence carried a maximum of ten years. Now it would be 14.

“There was a breach of trust, and a significant one. One can barely imagine how upset and traumatised that boy would be, being taken to a man’s bed in the dead of night while he was away from home.

“I am absolutely satisfied this man presents a clear and present danger which could result in serious psychological or physical harm.

“Mr Beaumont is not here. In due course he will no doubt be arrested and brought before a court. When he is arrested, he should be brought before me.”

September 2017

Paedophile who fled UK after admitting sick crime ‘found in Mexico trying to buy props to teach yoga to kids’

A paedophile who fled the UK after admitting grooming a schoolboy has been tracked down in Mexico trying to buy yoga props used for teaching kids.

Self-styled motivational guru Roderick Beaumont, 60, was due to be sentenced for his sick crime when he left Scotland for Albania last year.

But it’s believed he has now been found as he tried to order costumes for yoga figures used in teaching children.

The owner of a US clothing company raised the alarm when she saw articles online which revealed his vile crime.

At Airdrie Sheriff Court last October, Beaumont, originally from Dundee, admitted grooming a boy on social media – but he failed to appear for sentencing in December and disappeared abroad.

The court heard the former airline pilot, who describes himself as a “global coach”, caught a flight from Edinburgh to Albania with £9,000.

And when a Rod Beaumont in Mexico recently contacted a US-based costume firm, the owner was concerned he was the fugitive Scots sex offender.

Pictures he supplied, in which he wears religious-style robes, match those which accompanied articles on Beaumont’s crime.

The business owner, from Colorado, said : “I think he is the one who placed an order.

“I don’t want to associate with someone like this and I don’t know who else to contact about this.

“This situation is really bothering me – I’ve been stalling on starting his order because I plan to decline the order and make up an excuse.

“The man who made an order from my shop and contacted me through Instagram paid with a credit card with the name Rod Beaumont and has an address in Mexico.

“He wants me to make a monk outfit for a yoga bear that is used mainly to teach kids meditation and yoga poses. It is pretty popular with yoga fanatics.

“He claims to be a monk and in one of his Instagrams, he claims to know hypnosis.

“I’ve seen in articles about the paedophile that he also knows hypnosis so I find that even more interesting.

“If this is him, I am scared he will be trying to speak to children online.

“If there’s anything I can do, let me know. I really don’t know what to do and this situation is just horrible.”

As well as the costume business owner, two other people contacted the Record to claim they were abused by Beaumont in the past when he lived in the US.

They saw the story about Beaumont dodging court and going on the run last December.

One victim said: ”I’ve been following the story about Roderick Beaumont.

“Thirty years ago, Mr Beaumont conned his way into a youth organisation, where he met me.

“While he befriended my family, friends and teachers from my school, he sexually abused me.

“Everyone around me thought the world of Mr Beaumont and my distress was often regarded as defiant teenage behaviour because he had become a parental figure.

“The adults I confided in could not believe Mr Beaumont was capable of such things.

“My horror resulted in self-harming and prescription drug abuse. I suffered terrible migraines and abused my prescriptions to numb the pain.”

Another victim spoke of being abused in the US in the 1980s, saying: “Mr Beaumont lived here and was commissioned as a captain in the local Civil Air Patrol Squadron.

“He told everyone he was a pilot in the Royal Air Force and they gave him an equivalent rank based on his story.

“There was a youth component to CAP and I was awarded cadet of the year.

“Mr Beaumont was a certified flight instructor and free lessons were part of my award.

“Mr Beaumont has several pilot licences, including multi-purpose engine and commercial ratings.

“He began abusing me while acting as my flight instructor. Everyone thought Mr Beaumont was the greatest.

“He rented a home from my parents, got me a job at a local flight school and was the contact for a class I was taking in high school.

“I was afraid everyone’s world would fall apart if I said anything.

“I used to give blood a lot to get screened for HIV. This was the 80s and the AIDS scare was a big deal because of the epidemic.

“I didn’t want to anyone to think I was gay either so there was a big secrecy thing.”

In Airdrie last year, Beaumont pleaded guilty to sending written messages of a sexual nature from a house in Petersburn on various occasions between December 2015 and January 2016.

The education and management consultant was due to be sentenced in December but prosecutor Louise Beattie told the court that while on bail, he had flown from Edinburgh to Albania.

She said: “Given the report from social workers, they were not surprised.”

Defence lawyer John Paul Gallagher was unaware of Beaumont’s whereabouts.

He told the court: “A letter had been sent to him and I spoke to his mother last week.”

Gallagher told the court his client was no longer working and was not claiming benefits.

Sheriff Petra Collins considered an assessment of the danger Beaumont poses to children and a victim impact statement from the boy.

She said: “Obviously this is a very serious case.”

The sheriff issued a warrant for Beaumont’s arrest and put him on the sex offenders’ register.

Previously, the court had heard that Beaumont – who specialises in youth impact coaching and claimed to have successfully coached children as young as 10 – sent a series of messages to the Airdrie youngster.

Beattie said: “A warrant was issued for police to seize his laptop and mobile phone after messages had been sent to the boy from various places in Airdrie, Coatbridge and elsewhere.”

Beaumont claims to have visited 138 countries as a “global coach” and worked in 23 countries.

It is feared that his experience of travelling and living abroad will make it easier for him to blend into local communities in different countries.

In an interview available online, he describes himself as “motivational, inspirational, professional and above all authentic”.

He continues: “I have the ability to make people be at ease and work with me.

“I enjoy empowering my clients to reach their goals and dreams and to overcome their limiting beliefs and fears.

“Everything I do is designed to unleash that inner potential that lies within each of us.”

Beaumont is also quoted as saying: “My clients find their lives positively affected as a result of our sessions.”

Chillingly, he adds: “In particular my youth clients (12-26) and their families report significant positive changes.”

November 2016

Life coach guilty of grooming Airdrie schoolboy over month-long period

A SELF-STYLED “global coach” who claims to have visited 138 countries faces the prospect of being jailed after admitting trying to “groom” an Airdrie schoolboy through social media.

Paedophile Roderick Beaumont, 60, pleaded guilty at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Monday to intentionally sending written messages of a sexual nature from a house on North Calder Drive, Petersburn, on various occasions between December 30 last year and January 24.

Prosecutor Agnes Meek told the court that Beaumont, who specialises in “youth impact coaching” and claims to have “successfully coached” children as young as 10, sent the messages to the boy, who was 15 at the time.

She said: “A warrant was issued for police to seize his laptop and mobile phone, which had been sent to the boy from various places in Airdrie, Coatbridge and elsewhere.”

Sheriff Petra Collins said: “Obviously this is a very serious case and I will call for background reports before sentencing you.”

In an online interview boastful Beaumont describes himself as “motivational, inspirational, professional and above all, authentic”.

He continues: “I have the ability to make people be at ease and work with me.

“I enjoy empowering my clients to reach their goals and dreams and to over come their limiting beliefs and fears.

“Everything I do is designed to unleash that inner potential that lies within each of us.”

Beaumont is also quoted as saying: “My clients find their lives positively affected as a result of our sessions.

“In particular my youth clients (12-26) and their families report significant positive changes.”

Beaumont’s lawyer told the court that his client was no longer working and was not claiming benefits.

Sheriff Collins deferred sentence until December 5, calling for a full range of background reports, including a risk assessment as to the danger he poses to children.

Beaumont, who now lives in Dundee, was placed on the sex offenders’ register.

Sheriff Collins also called for a victim impact statement from the boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, before sentencing.