A former police officer who once stood beside the father of missing chef Claudia Lawrence during public appeals has been handed a suspended prison sentence after admitting a series of child sex offences.
A Fall from Grace
Disgraced officer Paul Beckwith, 53, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and five counts of voyeurism. He was sentenced at York Crown Court to 14 months' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
Beckwith, who had served with North Yorkshire Police for 33 years, was a familiar face during the early stages of the investigation into Claudia Lawrence's disappearance. He regularly appeared alongside her father, Peter Lawrence, in media appeals following her vanishing on March 18, 2009.
The Investigation and Charges
The court heard that Beckwith's downfall began when he was arrested on November 17, 2024, on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. He was immediately suspended from duty.
He was further arrested on March 13, 2025, concerning suspected voyeurism and additional offences related to indecent images. An investigation uncovered a stash of sick images, including 11 category A images – the most severe kind – as well as two category B and nine category C images.
Beckwith was subsequently dismissed without notice for gross misconduct following an Accelerated Misconduct Hearing on April 7, 2025. He pleaded guilty to all charges when he appeared before York Magistrates' Court in October.
Impact on Victims and Sentencing
Prosecutor Sarah Tyrer stated that the voyeurism charges represented a "substantial breach of trust". The profound impact on his victims was laid bare in court.
One victim told the court, "How could a man, supposed to be someone who should protect people from criminals, take photographs of someone for sexual gratification? He is a twisted paedophile pervert." She described feeling violated and objectified upon discovering the photos Beckwith had taken of her without consent.
In addition to the suspended sentence, Judge Simon Hickey imposed an 18-month rehabilitation order with a requirement for Beckwith to attend mental health treatment. He was also barred from working with children and vulnerable adults for 10 years.
The judge noted that while Beckwith had posed a risk to the public when committing the offences, he was not considered a current risk, had taken steps towards rehabilitation, and a prison term would significantly impact his family.
Beckwith, of York, who had no prior convictions, was North Yorkshire Police's first drone operator and had previously led a remembrance parade in 2023.
Claudia Lawrence's father, Peter, who campaigned for the introduction of Claudia's Law in 2019, passed away in 2021. The investigation into his daughter's disappearance remains open, with nine people having been questioned but no charges ever brought.
