CCTV nailed Sex Attacker!
Geraldine’s boyfriend thought no-one was watching…
My cheeks ached from laughing so much. My boyfriend Grant Beattie, 27, had me in stitches, telling me a funny story.
‘You’ve really cheered me up,’ I giggled, wiping away tears.
If I’d had a bad day, Grant would always put a smile back on my face. It was his sense of humour that’d attracted me.
We’d been introduced by his mum early last year. I knew her, and she’d set us up on a date.
We’d hit it off straightaway and were soon in a relationship.
Grant was always taking me out, making me feel special. He’d even come out with me and my friends.
Sweet, I thought, flattered. But I soon started to find his clinginess irritating.
He’d ring me when I was out. ‘When will you be back?’ he’d ask whenever I went anywhere.
It was hard not to lose patience. But I’d give Grant the benefit of the doubt.
He just likes me a lot, I’d tell myself.
Then, last November, my brother Alec, 29, got engaged to his girlfriend Kirsty.
They were planning a party at a local rugby club. Looking forward to it, I bought myself a new outfit.
And, on 26 November, Grant and I made our way there.
‘You look nice,’ he told me.
Boozed up
Grant seemed in good spirits – but, as the evening went on, he was knocking back beer after beer.
Soon, he was slurring his words and being overly touchy-feely with me. ‘Stop it!’ I hissed.
It was a family party, and I didn’t think it appropriate.
That seemed to annoy Grant, though.
‘You’re flirting with other men,’ he slurred in my ear later. ‘Don’t be stupid,’ I sighed. I’d been busy catching up with family and friends, so hadn’t been with him much
‘You’ve been ignoring me!’ he snapped.
It was pathetic, so I told him to sober up. But, for the rest of the night, Grant continued to booze.
At one point, he staggered onto the stage and grabbed the DJ’S microphone.
‘Thanks everyone for coming!’ he yelled.
I managed to drag him off before he made a complete fool of himself. He was acting like it was his party, showing himself up. I was furious with him.
‘Enough is enough!’ I said, absolutely mortified.
At the end of the night, we all went outside to wait for cabs.
I told Alec and Kirsty to take the first one with a few others. ‘We’ll get the next one,’ I said. Suddenly it was just Grant and me waiting. And it didn’t take him long to start again…
‘You’ve been flirting with people in front of me all night,’ he yelled.
Then he grabbed me by my hair and started dragging me behind a parked van.
‘You’re hurting me,’ I cried,
At the end of the night, we went out to wait for cabs...
in pain. But then he tried dragging me to the floor.
I put up a fight, but Grant threw me against the van, tearing at my clothes.
Terrifying attack
As he ripped off my tights, I struggled to cover myself, preserve my modesty.
‘Stop!’ I pleaded, tears filling my eyes – but Grant was like a man possessed.
He just kept on trying to push me to the floor, tearing my clothes, shouting abuse.
He was a lot stronger than me, but I did the best I could to hold him off.
It seemed to go on for hours. The bar staff at the rugby club must’ve seen what was going on and phoned the police because, next thing I knew, a police car pulled up and Grant was arrested.
It was over. Battered and bruised, I broke down.
How could Grant have done this to me? My clothes were shredded. He’d even pulled out my hair extensions, leaving me with bald patches.
The DJ from the party drove me home, and I told my family what’d happened.
‘He can’t get away with this,’ my mum Heather, 47, cried.
Thankfully, Grant hadn’t caused any lasting injuries, and I’d managed to escape with just a few bruises.
But I was so shaken by the whole thing, I became anxious and depressed.
Too scared to leave the house, I retreated into my shell.
In June this year, Grant Beattie, 27, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and denied sexual assault, which meant I had to go to court to give evidence.
Prosecutor Ian West told the court, ‘It was a violent sexual assault, probably as near to attempted rape as it’s possible to get without being an attempted rape.’
I was mortified when my ripped tights and underwear were held up to the jury as the proof of what Grant had done to me.
Trying to move on
Then CCTV footage from the rugby club car park was shown. Turned out a camera had caught the whole sick attack.
I couldn’t bear to watch it. But it was the proof the jury needed to convict Beattie.
He was sentenced to three years in prison and made to sign the sex offenders register for 10 years.
The judge also imposed a restraining order.
Beattie’s sentence isn’t long enough for what he did, but I’m determined to put it all behind me now.
My confidence has been knocked, and I still suffer from terrible anxiety.
I’ve been humiliated and hurt by the man who claimed he loved me.
I was so shaken, I became anxious and depressed