Rapist who attacked first victim aged 15 and plied her with drugs jailed

A sexual predator who subjected a young woman to rape attacks after encouraging her to smoke cannabis has been jailed for seven years.

Kieran Beck carried out a campaign of abuse against female victims in the Scottish Borders from the age 15.

Beck, formerly of Hawick, had denied a series of offences but was found guilty of nine charges including rape, sexual assault, physical assault and abusive behaviour involving three victims.

A judge at the High Court in Edinburgh told him: “It is plain that only a substantial custodial sentence is appropriate.”

Lord Arthurson ordered that Beck should be supervised for a further three-year period when he will be on licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches conditions.

During the abuse Beck perpetrated he raped one woman at his former home while he was still a teenager and subjected a second woman to sexual assault while she was sleeping.

His first victim told a jury at his trial that she and Beck were “weed smokers”.

She said: “He would encourage me to smoke more because it really put me in a deep sleep. Then I woke up at night to him having sex with me.”

The woman said she told Beck “many times” that she did not want this to happen.

She said: “A couple of times I would say ‘no’ and he would be having sex with me.”

She told the court that Beck was “very controlling” and subjected her to behaviour that left her feeling horrible and worthless.

She said he directed verbal abuse and physical violence towards her. She was hit, punched and dragged by the hair.

During assaults on her at addresses in Hawick between April 2014 and February 2016 she was also pushed and pulled and her head was struck against a mirror.

She said that Beck was drunk when he attacked her on one occasion. “He dragged me about by the hair, slapped my face and he took my iPhone and bent it,” she said.

A second woman was attacked by Beck at addresses in the Borders between January 2016 and July the following year, when she was grabbed, punched, kicked and subjected to alarming behaviour when he damaged a TV and mobile phone and forced entry to her home.

Beck also performed oral sex acts on the victim when she was sleeping and unable to consent.

A third victim was also subjected to attacks by Beck when she was punched, kicked, put in a headlock and forced to the ground.

He also acted aggressively to the woman at addresses in the Hawick area and subjected her to offensive remarks and threats of violence between September 2018 and October 2021.

Defence counsel Victoria Young said that Beck had accepted some of the physical assaults took place but denied committing sexual assaults and that remained his position.

She said: “Most of the offending took place when he was young, very young”.

She asked the court to take account of his immaturity at the time.

The defence counsel said Beck had suffered adverse childhood experiences and was diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder.

The court heard that he has also sustained multiple head injuries and the death of a child while he was in custody.

Beck, who followed the sentencing proceedings via a video link to prison, was told that he will be placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Detective inspector Frank Keegan, of Police Scotland’s Borders division, said: “We acknowledge the sentencing of Beck who will now face the consequences of his deplorable behaviour.

“Police Scotland is committed to tackling domestic abuse and sexual offences to ensure the safety of individuals and communities.

“Cases such as this serve as a good example that there is no time limit on when you can report these crimes.”

He added: “A thorough investigation will always be conducted, no matter how long ago the incidents occurred and we will do all we can to bring perpetrators of such offences to justice.