Pupil thought she was 'groomed' by welfare officer
Neil Beckett pictured at a previous court appearance
- Published
A Lagan College pupil has told Belfast Crown Court she thought a health and welfare officer was grooming her and would rape her.
The pupil told the court 43-year-old Neil Beckett from Kilmore near Crossgar brought her into his office with the door and blinds closed.
She said he held on to her hands 鈥渧ery tightly鈥 and 鈥渨ould not let鈥 her go.
The pupil said: "I genuinely thought he was going to rape me. I was really worried."
'I felt paralysed'
The pupil said Mr Beckett then told her to lay on a medical bed.
She said: 鈥淗e told me to lay on the bed and asked me did I want to go to sleep? I said no.
"He put his hands on my thighs and almost pushed my skirt up. He put his hands on the top of my thighs. He wouldn鈥檛 let me go鈥.
She told the court she felt "paralysed".
"You could see my pants my skirt was up so high. I didn鈥檛 know what he was about to do," she said.
"He was making all these noises. He sounded like he was enjoying himself, sexually. It felt wrong. I felt trapped. I felt like he was going to do something bad to me鈥.
Neil Beckett, 43, is accused of 29 sex offences against teenage girls.
He denies all the charges against him.
Mr Beckett was working at Lagan College in south Belfast at the time of some of the alleged offences
The charges span a decade鈥攂etween 2013 and 2023鈥攁nd involve 11 alleged victims, nine of whom were pupils at Lagan College.
Two other victims were teenage Army cadets at a time when, prior to taking up his role at the school, Mr Beckett was an Army cadet leader.
Among the charges against him is an allegation of rape by one of the Army cadet complainants.
In court today, a pupil at Lagan College said: 鈥淚 did everything to try and distract him. I didn鈥檛 want him touching me anymore."
A barrister representing Mr Beckett put it to the pupil 鈥淢r Beckett denies anything happened鈥.
The pupil said: 鈥淗e can believe that. I know what happened. And it did happen."
The pupil broke down and added: 鈥淟ooking back on things now, he was grooming me."
She said: 鈥淚 liked him. I liked spending time with him and talking to him. It鈥檚 sexual assault and it鈥檚 what happened to me.鈥
The trial continues.