Disgraced military man sent to prison for raping a female officer

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“The irony that she feels guilty but Mr. Beale doesn’t is not lost on her”

File photo of Renfrew County Court in Pembroke. Photo by Errol McGihon/Postmedia

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Disgraced Army Corporal Gareth Beale, 29, was jailed for raping a female officer after they met online.

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After hearing the evidence during the trial, Ontario Judge JR Richardson described the sexual assault as painful and humiliating.

The attack shattered the woman’s life. She filed a victim impact statement in which she described the depressing, life-changing effects of the attack, which left her bleeding and in pain.

Beale was a corporal in the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment at CFB Petawawa at the time he raped the woman.

He maintains his innocence and shows no remorse. Beal has been released on bail pending an appeal.

“She feels guilty for coming forward and participating in bringing the accused to justice. She realizes that this will have a profound effect on Mr. Beale’s life. The irony that she feels guilty but Mr. Beale does not is not lost on her,” the judge said in a ruling last month.

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Beale sent a flurry of glowing letters of support from colleagues, friends and family. One of his commanding officers described Beale as “one of the strongest corporals” under his command. Others expressed outrage at the guilty verdict and said it would be “out of character” for Beale to commit such a horrific crime.

The judge sentenced Beal to two years in prison.

Beale had no criminal record before the rape and the court heard he was brought up as a Christian by “good” parents who had been married for 40 years. Unlike so many sexual predators, Beale was not traumatized as a child. Born in Sackville, NB, Beal moved to Alberta with his family when he was five. They lived in Peace River until he was 14 when they moved to Calgary.

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After graduating from high school, Beal went to the University of Calgary for a year. He leaves to work as a construction worker. He later enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces at 23 and had plans to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer. The judge noted that the dream was scalded.

Beal exploited the intoxicated woman, who was unable to fend him off because of his size and weight, the judge concluded.

Beale’s texts to the victim on the night in question indicated an intention to have sex with her, regardless of her feelings against it, Pembroke court heard.

“Beal knew when she arrived that (she) wanted to just hang out and cuddle. She didn’t want sex. He hoped that she would change her mind and he would be able to have sex with her. He would “make a move” or “try his luck” to get her to have sex with him, the judge recalled in his ruling.

Biel did not use a condom during the rape. The court heard he had passed chlamydia to a woman in the past.

In that case, the judge said: “(The woman) suffered a deep internal cut to her vagina. That cut was painful and bleeding a lot. She was still in a lot of pain when the sexual assault nurse checked her 14 hours later.

Before he was sentenced in June, Beale received two job offers — one as a carpenter’s apprentice in British Columbia and the other as a framer’s helper in Alberta.

Beale was successfully prosecuted by Ottawa prosecutor Susan Schrick.

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