Disgraced military man sent to prison for raping officer

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Disgraced military corporal Garrett Beal, 29, was sent to prison for raping a female officer after they met online.

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After hearing evidence at trial, Ontario court judge JR Richardson described the sexual assault as painful and degrading.

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

Beal was a corporal in the Royal Canadian Third Regiment at CFB Petawawa when he raped the woman.

He maintains his innocence and shows no remorse.

“He feels guilty for coming forward and participating in holding the accused accountable. She acknowledges that this will have a profound effect on Mr. Beal’s life. The irony that she feels guilty, but Mr. Beal does not, is not lost on her,” the judge said in a decision last month.

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

The judge sentenced Beal to two years in prison.

Beal had no criminal record until the rape, and the court heard that he was raised as a Christian by “good” parents who had been married for 40 years. Unlike so many sexual predators, Beal suffered no childhood trauma. Born in Sackville, NB, Beal moved to Alberta with his family when he was five years old. They lived in Peace River until they were 14 years old, when they moved to Calgary.

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After finishing high school, Beal went to the University of Calgary for a year. He dropped out of school to work as a construction worker. He later enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces at age 23 and had plans to fulfill his dream of becoming a police officer. The judge noted that the dream had been frustrated.

Beal blew up the drunken woman who couldn’t push him because of his size and weight, the judge recap.

Beal’s text messages to the victim on the night in question showed an intention to have sex with her regardless of her feelings to the contrary, the court in Pembroke heard.

“Beal knew when she arrived that (she) just wanted to hang out and cuddle. She didn’t want sex. He was hoping that she would change her mind and he could have sex with her. She was going to ‘make a move’ or ‘try her luck’ for her to have sex with him,” the judge recalled in his decision.

Beal did not use a condom in the rape. The court heard that she had transmitted chlamydia to a woman in the past.

In this case, the judge reported: “(The woman) suffered a deep internal cut in the vagina. This cut was painful and she got a lot of blood. She was still in a lot of pain when the sexual assault nurse examined her 14 hours later.”

Before sentencing in June, Beal received two job offers: one as a carpenter’s apprentice in BC and the other as a framer’s helper in Alberta.

Beal was successfully prosecuted by Ottawa Crown Prosecutor Suzanne Schriek.