Doug Beattie
Upper Bann · Ulster Unionist Party · Northern Ireland
“I absolutely accept what the Minister said earlier, which is that she would not have been able to get such a Bill out of the Executive. That is the sentence that you would have heard from me, Minister, had you waited a minute. I absolutely accept that that is the case, and I think that we all do.”
“Just a minute. Minister, I guess that I disagree with you, because I too did my work. I accept that I do not have the resources that you and your Department have, but I sat with the Public Prosecution Service and talked through this very thing, and it said that it was workable.”
“The Director of Public Prosecutions would look at the seriousness of the offence — death by dangerous driving, risk of harm to the public, serial arson, assault, sexual behaviour that is a danger to the public — and he would also look at the best interests of the child, because we have not got away from diversionary measures here.”
“Had James Bulger been murdered by two nine-year-olds, we would probably be having a discussion about the minimum age of criminal responsibility being nine, such was the anger in 1993 when that horrendous crime took place. All the ages are arbitrary, and we need to deal with that.”
“That raises the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12. It is not what some people, who want it to be 14, want; it is not what others, who want it to stay at 10, want; but I believe that 12 is right. Why do I presume that a child can commit a criminal offence at 12 years of age?”
“In essence, however, that amendment would raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14, apart from in the case of the offences in that closed list. It has been said many times, and I will not repeat what has been said, but the closed list does not make sense to me either.”
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“I will return to the original question. It is a natural response for people to be concerned when a convicted sex offender is rehoused in their area. How can the community disclosure scheme address those concerns?”
“Deportation is the responsibility of the Home Office — we know that — but our criminal justice system must trigger it. Secondly, victims deserve to be treated with care. They should not have to read in the newspaper about the arrest of somebody who may have murdered their loved one. That is what is happening. The system is failing. We are failing. We need to deal with that.”
“The way in which we treat victims of crime and their families is absolutely scandalous. That is not a one-off. Victor Hamilton is another male who is largely forgotten and not spoken about in the Chamber or anywhere else. He joins the likes of Jim McFadden, whose family were let down by the system, and Michael and Marjorie Cawdery, whose family were also let down. We really need to deal with how we look after victims of crime in Northern Ireland. Right now, we are not doing that. <BR /> <BR />What is this statement about? Is it about foreign nationals not receiving the full weight of our criminal justice system? Is it about victims' care? It is about both because you cannot have one without the other. First, the criminal justice system is there for a reason. It should act for a reason.”
“We have failed the victim's family in that regard. <BR /> <BR />A bit of good news, however, is that the individual who escaped to Portugal has been arrested and faces extradition. How does the family know that? They read it in a newspaper. There has been no victims' care whatsoever. Nobody went to them and said, "This is what is happening". Nobody went to them and said, "This is what is happening to the individual who got six years behind bars", or "This is what is happening to the individual who got two years and should have been deported but was not". Nobody has been to the family whatsoever. <BR /> <BR />I have long called for changes to the victim information scheme. I will continue to do so because it is letting people down. The family read about the perpetrators in a newspaper.”
“I want to make a statement on Victor Hamilton, and I do so with the permission of his family. <BR /> <BR />Victor Hamilton was originally from Carrickfergus. In 2022, he was murdered in Ballymena. Four people were involved in his murder, three of whom were foreign nationals. The chief suspect in that murder escaped justice by going back to Portugal. A second man was given six years for manslaughter — three behind bars and three on licence. After being behind bars for three years, he should have been deported. He was not, and he is now back out in the community. The other foreign national was given two years for withholding information. Due to time served, however, after one year's sentence, which should have been behind bars, he was released. He also should have been deported, but, again, he was allowed back into society.”
“Seven months ago, we had a good debate on a motion that was tabled by the Opposition. During that debate, Members from every party expressed their concern about safety at school bus stops, yet I still see kids, in the dark of night, walking along grass verges with no street lighting to bus stops that have no street lighting. It is dangerous. That is not even in a rural environment; it is in the transitional area between rural and urban environments. It is not legislation that is required; it is action. Will the Minister tell us, now, that she will take action to put lighting on bus stops so that drivers can see where kids are standing.”
“<BR /> <BR />I do not want to go through the rest of the LCM: it is pretty sound and other people have looked at it. We can all look at things hypothetically and say, "Maybe this will happen or maybe that could happen". However, the possibility that I have outlined is a real one. There are people out there who are manipulative and can use the gap. If you are charged with a sexual offence and you know that a conviction could be two or three years down the road, you might decide to put in a not guilty plea even though you know you are guilty. In that interim period, you could set up a new life for yourself, including a new driving licence. We really have a bit of a gap that I think that we need to address. I hope that the Minister can look at that for us and see whether there is any way of dealing with it.”
“<BR /> <BR />Therefore, although I support clause 94(2), I genuinely urge the Minister to consider whether enabling powers or amendments are needed to allow the implementation of interim measures. For example, could a condition of bail for those charged with sexual offences include a prohibition on them legally changing their names? Could a flagging system be established at DVLA and HM Passport Office that operates from the moment at which someone is charged, not just when they are convicted? Closing the door after conviction is essential, but to protect victims and the integrity of the judicial process during that vulnerable period of time, we must also lock the door from the moment that a serious allegation is formally made.”
“What is there to stop an individual who is arrested or charged with a sexual offence but not yet convicted from legally changing their name and obtaining a new driving licence during the delay? The answer is, potentially, very little. They could exploit that gap by confusing and intimidating a victim who knows them by another name. They could begin to construct a new identity in anticipation of a potential conviction, getting ahead of future restrictions. They could undermine the administration of justice by creating confusion around their identity in court and before a jury. Perversely, this legislation could incentivise a late guilty plea. That is not a hypothetical scenario: the well-documented backlog in our courts makes that delay a real operational vulnerability that manipulative defendants could use.”
“Not wanting to fall into the zone in which everything has been said but not everyone has said it, I fully support what the Chair of the Justice Committee has laid out. I support the LCM, but I want to add value to it. I have been thinking about the Bill over the past number of days, and I want to raise an area in which there could be a gap. <BR /> <BR />Clause 94(2) rightly aims to prevent registered sex offenders from getting a driving licence in a new name, but we must consider the dangerous window before registration. There are often lengthy periods between arrest, charge and trial. We know that there are major delays, sometimes lasting years, in sexual offence cases coming before the courts, and we know that the vast majority of sex offenders enter a late guilty plea.”
“It is important now that we build momentum to close the sites down, because, if we do not, we will fail the victims.”
“There is no doubt of that. The Minister can only do so much. She can make robust calls, but we need something to be done in Westminster. In many ways, Westminster will have to lead on some of it. It is not left sitting on the Minister's shoulders, but the call is for us, through the Minister, to be robust in trying to get change. <BR /> <BR />To maintain our leadership, we must now ensure that our tools match the technology of the abusers. I urge all Members to support the motion. Let us send a clear message to victims that we see their exploitation and demand that the UK Government act to shut down the digital slave markets that operate in plain sight. I am in no doubt that everybody in the Chamber and further afield fully understands the issues that we face.”
“It would increase the risk for traffickers, disrupt the primary channel of the trade and begin to shrink the demand that fuels it. It would be a targeted response to the organised crime gangs that exploit the present gaps. We need to understand that the vast majority of this is done by organised crime gangs. <BR /> <BR />It is not about policing the internet; it is about upholding the law and protecting women. Just as we would not tolerate a newspaper openly advertising and trafficking women, we cannot tolerate its digital equivalent. The motion reaffirms our moral and legislative consistency. We have chosen to stand with the exploited, not the exploiters.”
“We have been leaders in recognising that you cannot truly combat trafficking while providing a safe, searchable marketplace for traffickers' goods. <BR /> <BR />Our laws have a critical gap, however. While it is an offence here to purchase or control a person for the purpose of prostitution, the digital pimps and website operators who profit enormously from such exploitation often operate from outside this jurisdiction. They are shielded by the lack of specific UK-wide offences. That loophole undermines our entire legislative intent. Therefore, the call to the Justice Minister is not just logical but imperative. The Minister must press the UK Government on one clear, unequivocal demand: to create a new offence of operating a website that hosts advertisements for prostitution. That would target the business model and its sources.”
“I have previously spoken in the Chamber about my experiences in Kosovo, where I saw the genesis of human trafficking. Most of the time, we see its outcomes, but I saw the start of it. I saw the kidnapping gangs that went out to look for young women and girls. I saw them warehoused before they were trafficked on. I saw the families who were exploited by those people before they trafficked their daughters into that trade. I have seen that route, and it has stayed with me for an awfully long time. Now that I am here, working with the good people in the Assembly, I can see what we are trying to do to end trafficking, but we see the end stage, not necessarily all the suffering that goes along with it. Prostitution is not a career choice but, in the vast majority of cases, a site of immense gender violence, poverty and trauma.”
“Our 2015 Human Trafficking Act, which criminalised the purchase of sex, was built on the Nordic model — the principle of targeting demand and supporting those who are being exploited.”
“Support for the motion is a no-brainer, and I support it wholeheartedly. I support it on the fundamental grounds of justice, human dignity, safety and a duty to protect the most vulnerable. The motion correctly identifies a grim reality of the digital age: adult services websites have become the modern-day high street for exploitation. They do not simply advertise: they industrialise and normalise the buying of human beings, primarily women and girls, under a thin veil of commerce. Those platforms are the primary facilitators of traffickers and exploitative punters, allowing them to operate with anonymity, scale and impunity. They mask coercion behind a drop-down menu and transform profound human suffering into a simple online transaction. Northern Ireland has rightly taken a pioneering stand.”
“<BR /> <BR />The Assembly must send an unequivocal message that the digital violation of women and girls is a serious crime, that we all stand with victims and that we will act swiftly and decisively to ensure that our laws keep pace with technology. We must have a criminal justice response to this insidious crime. We must have deterrent-based sentencing. I believe that we can get there. However, time is running out as technology overtakes us.”
“We must ensure that women and girls in Northern Ireland are not left behind. We cannot allow a lag in our legislation to create a safe haven for this sort of abuse. Perpetrators exploit digital borders. Our legal protections must be seamless right across these islands. The Justice Minister must — I believe that she will — treat this crime with the utmost urgency. We need robust, specific criminal offences that match the severity of the harm. We need enforcement powers that give our police and prosecutors the tools to investigate and prosecute effectively in this digital age. Critically, we need victim-centred protections that prioritise support, removal of the imagery and the right to dignity and justice for the victims.”
“Therefore, we rightly welcome the Government's commitment to criminalise this abhorrent activity. We note the Department of Justice consultation to address the issue, but the consultation cannot be where this ends. Momentum must become law. Protections must be realised and not just discussed. I think that that is genuinely what the Minister wants and where we will get to. That is why the final clause of the motion is so crucial.”
“It is digital assault that shatters autonomy, damages mental health, ruins reputation and forces the victims — the survivors — into a devastating fight to reclaim an identity that has been stolen and violated in the most intimate way. The psychological and emotional toll is catastrophic. It is a violation that follows a woman from the bedroom to the boardroom, from her social life to her professional life, 24 hours a day. It is a tool of coercion, revenge pornography and sheer malice.”
“We are talking about deepfakes, where a woman's face is seamlessly grafted onto pornography without her knowledge, consent or hope of control. It is not a prank; it is:”
“The Ulster Unionist Party included a section on artificial intelligence in our Westminster manifesto, outlining how it can be used positively and ethically but realising its inherent dangers. However, as the motion states with grave accuracy, predatory individuals are weaponising artificial intelligence. They use those powerful tools not for innovation but for exploitation, humiliation and to perpetrate a particularly insidious form of online violence. We are talking about:”
“I rise to wholeheartedly support the motion. I commend its proposer for handling and dealing with the abuse that has been directed at her with dignity, stoicism and, as we can see in the motion, a long-term vision for better. I also commend the testimony of Diane Forsythe. As men, we do not fully grasp what women have to go through at times. <BR /> <BR />The issue that the motion addresses is not a distant, abstract concern about technology but a clear threat, causing profound harm to women and girls in our community. It is happening right now. In many ways, we are already way behind the curve on this and are getting further and further behind as technology improves. <BR /> <BR />The core promise of AI is progress and problem-solving.”
“<BR /> <BR />All those people whom I stood beside — Americans, Canadians, Danish people, Estonians and Polish people — gave so much. The United States invoked article 5 of the North Atlantic treaty, which states that an attack on one NATO member is an attack on all, and all those nations answered the call. I will say simply this: while the president continues to attack and insult the memory of the nations who gave so much, be that the UK or others, I will never accept it. He needs to give a full apology, and I expect it.”
“We patched up our wounded, carried our dead with dignity and did everything that was asked of us on the front line, yet an individual sitting in Mar-a-Lago, 8,000 miles away from the front line that I was standing on, thinks that he can insult the people who fought, died and were injured on that front line. That is absolutely appalling. He cannot get away with it, and he cannot get away with saying that it was just an unfiltered remark. He is the president of the United States, and I am in no doubt that he cares not one jot about somebody like me who stood on that front line and fought with other nations. He has no interest. His attempt to row back on what he said about those whom I served beside in Afghanistan are hollow words.”
“Their young men fought shoulder to shoulder with me in the incredibly difficult environment that we shared. We shared the hardships and the isolation. Fear was our continuous companion, and we shared that. Sometimes we used dark humour to get through our day, and I fell foul of that — trust me, I know, and I apologise for doing so — but that is how we got through our days.”
“I did three tours of duty in Afghanistan in the dismounted close combat role. My eyes are not as bright as they once were; my waistline is a little more expansive; and my hearing is not as sharp. Some people wonder why I shout, and that is why. However, I still remember the sights, sounds and smells of Afghanistan. I also remember the taste, because, when you see a body being eviscerated in front of you, the blood hangs in the air like a mist and invades your nostrils, and its coppery taste lands on your tongue. That is not something that you are likely to forget. <BR /> <BR />I served with some of the most fantastic men and women that this country has ever had. They were dedicated, committed and courageous. I served with people from other countries, such as the United States, Canada, Estonia, Poland, Denmark and many others.”
“That is an important point, but will the Minister outline the legal basis by which pre-release testing through secondary legislation — rule 27 of the Prison and Young Offenders Centre Rules (Northern Ireland) 1995 — can override primary legislation — the Life Sentences (Northern Ireland) Order 2001 — that states that a prisoner should not be released until they have completed their life sentence?”
“Some 72% of people in Northern Ireland agree with that Supreme Court ruling, and 72% of people in the Irish Republic also agree with it. Therefore, we need to adhere to it. Nothing should get in the way of ensuring the rights of women and those of the transgender community. They are not mutually exclusive. We need to make sure that we record data correctly because, as the review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender found, by using the term "gender" instead of the word "sex", we are skewing the whole statistical analysis of the issue that we face. I have already raised that with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.”
“However, the reality is that I want protections for our transgender community. I want to make sure that we have services for them, including ensuring that all the health services that they require are in place. However, none of this should be at the detriment of women. Women deserve to have their own space, free from men. Men should not have the right to go into a woman's space. Women should not be made to change in front of a man. If women ask for intimate care from another woman in a hospital setting, that should be accommodated where it can be. It makes absolute sense. <BR /> <BR />We have lost sight of what we expect for women throughout the United Kingdom. Of course, we have the Supreme Court ruling that identifies your sex as being your biological sex at birth, and we need to understand and accept that.”
“Last week, a tribunal found that the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust had subjected eight Darlington nurses to harassment, violated their dignity, humiliated them and created a degrading and hostile environment. That was in the case of a transgender woman, a biological male, being allowed to use their changing facilities, so that they had to change in front of him. I add that the same tribunal found absolutely no case against the individual transgender woman. However, it still had a major effect on those nurses from Darlington. For me, it was a common-sense judgement, and it is going to have ramifications right across the NHS, including here in Northern Ireland. <BR /> <BR />Of course, because I raise this, I will be labelled a transphobe or told that I am in a culture war, because that is what people say.”
“I thank the Minister for his answer. Given that puberty blockers were banned because they could cause harm to individual children, and given that children under the age of 16, which is the age range in this pathway trial, cannot give consent to participate in the trial themselves, what safeguards will be in place for those children post-trial and as they move into adulthood, if puberty blockers are found to have created irreversible damage?”
“We could allow the cases to go to the Magistrates' Court for trial, but sentencing would happen in the Crown Court, so that the power to give stiffer sentences would not be lost. What is clear without a shadow of a doubt is that we cannot sit on our hands and complain about minutiae that are not really important, when victims, survivors and witnesses will suffer time and again over an industrial dispute that should have been dealt with months ago.”
“We all know that with a little extra pressure on the neck or holding it for a little longer, non-fatal strangulation suddenly becomes attempted murder or even murder. That has been changed, so non-fatal strangulation will now be heard in the Crown Court. That is a success, but without the Crown Court sitting at full capacity, none of those cases will be heard. <BR /> <BR />Yesterday, I thought that the questions were good, and the Minister gave fair and accurate answers, but no solutions were given, and we need solutions to this real problem. What are the solutions? We could give extra powers to the Magistrates' Courts and increase their sentencing powers to allow them to hear those cases.”
“However, I met the Director of Public Prosecutions on Friday, and he informed me that crimes of a sexual nature, sexual violence and domestic abuse have gone up by 60%, and a lot of those would be heard in the Crown Court but now will not be. That will just increase as the days, weeks and months go by, and we really need to come up with a solution. <BR /> <BR />I had already raised the issue of non-fatal strangulation with the Director of Public Prosecutions. If we remember, hundreds of cases of non-fatal strangulation were being heard in the Magistrates' Court with a maximum sentence of two years, when they should have been heard in the Crown Court with a maximum sentence of 14 years.”
“Yesterday's statement by the Justice Minister about the dispute with the Criminal Bar Association was timely, full, accurate and important. Unfortunately, it gave no solutions. I have a real fear that there is now a stand-off between the Bar and the Department of Justice. The only people who will suffer are the victims. I have also a real concern that the Executive's flagship ending violence against women and girls strategy will be irreparably damaged if we do not act on this quickly. <BR /> <BR />We can talk about the Chloe Mitchell case, which is incredibly important, and the Natalie McNally case, which is close to my heart and also incredibly important.”
“I apologise to the Speaker's Office for missing my question for oral answer — number 13 — to the Finance Minister. I was waylaid. <BR /> <BR />The Minister outlines the problem very well in her statement. It is right that we all look at this issue and concentrate on victims. They are really the ones who will suffer, and we need to do everything that we possibly can to fix it so that we can help victims. Will the Minister confirm whether the Lady Chief Justice (LCJ) offered to mediate in this dispute? Did the Minister decline that offer?”
“It was a good-natured debate, and some good information came across. As it is the last debate of 2025, on behalf of the Ulster Unionist Party, I wish everybody in the Chamber and outside of it a very merry Christmas and a happy new year.”
“When you are replying to that Nigerian prince who wants to put £2 million into your bank account, that is coming from an awful long way away. It is certainly not coming from somewhere close to home. <BR /> <BR />I already mentioned Kate, who raised a good point in her contribution, as did Peter when he talked about Just Eat. That had slipped my mind until you mentioned it, Peter, to be honest. I remember watching a programme about the very issue of Just Eat, and it shows you that some of the larger companies can afford to take the hit on those scams, but it is the smaller people who simply cannot do so. <BR /> <BR />It was a good debate, and I am glad that we have had it. It was the last debate of 2025. Maybe things will get hotter when the debate is finished; I do not know.”
“You raised two points. The first point is that every one of us in here is susceptible to scams, as is every person outside here. If Martin Lewis can be scammed, everybody can be scammed, and social media can, of course, do more. It can always do more. <BR /> <BR />Patsy McGlone outlined the financial cost of scams and, like Emma, focused on cross-border cooperation. Keith Buchanan talked about the sophisticated global threat and the emotional scars that come from being involved in scams. That is why I mentioned the international element to all of this. Sometimes we think that scams are on our doorsteps, but they are absolutely not. They may feel as though they are on our doorstep, but sometimes they are from an awfully long way away.”
“<BR /> <BR />Connie Egan said that scams are under-reported because of shame and embarrassment, and she is absolutely right. People are ashamed to say that they fell for a scam, particularly if it is one of those romance scams, where somebody takes money off you because you think there is —.”
“It has been a good debate. I will be honest; I have not heard any dissenting voices, and I have learned something from all corners of the House. That is a good thing, because this is important. This is happening in real time, and it is affecting our people. We can all have our disagreements and arguments, but this is real. Emma Sheerin was absolutely right to point out that crime recognises no borders. Her amendment adds value to our motion, and we will support it. In her winding-up speech, Ciara talked about the rising number of scams and their increasing sophistication. <BR /> <BR />Cheryl Brownlee mentioned the case of Eddie and the way in which older people are being targeted by fraudsters, as well as the use of AI. AI is a great tool, but it is a double-edged sword, and it can be used against us.”
“Many older people are far too embarrassed to say that they have been scammed, so they do not report it. That is what the Minister was saying when she talked about under-reporting. People are too embarrassed, but they need to be told that they must come forward to their bank or financial services. We need a public awareness campaign on that, and, again, the Minister outlined that well. Knowledge, awareness and information are key in this digital world. Knowledge is the battleground in scams. <BR /> <BR />The motion calls on the Justice Minister to work with her Executive colleagues. That is the important part, because, although she is here and gave her response, all Ministers need to come together. Further to that, the motion calls for a:”
“Can you send me money?". It happens a lot; I have received that one myself. I have kids and grandkids, so I had to stop and think twice. They gain your information if you engage. <BR /> <BR />The motion notes the:”
“Scammers impersonate NHS GPs and contact individuals by phone, text or email, pretending to be from the NHS, a GP practice or other health service. They might ask you to update your records because, if you do not, they will take your name off their list. People give them their date of birth, their NHS number or their address, and, again, that information is harvested in order to claim benefits. <BR /> <BR />There are multiple types of scam. I did not realise how many types of scam there were until I looked them up. There is phishing, smishing, vishing, spear phishing and whaling, as well as romance scams, investment-in-crypto scams, tech-support scams, impersonation scams, lotteries, jobs and rental scams. Kate Nicholl mentioned emergency scams, where somebody messages, "Hi mum, I've lost my phone, and I'm using a friend's phone.”
“I will give an example of a Romania-based organised crime group that was involved in a large-scale phishing operation targeting UK government services and individuals. It sent out emails and texts that appeared to come from legitimate organisations such as HMRC, banks and other authorities in order to trick victims into revealing sensitive information. It then used that sensitive information to claim benefits. That is what those groups are sucking from society. In July 2025, 13 individuals were arrested near Bucharest and one in the UK as part of a major international operation targeting a phishing campaign that defrauded UK taxpayers to the tune of £47 million. <BR /> <BR />People do it in other ways, however.”
“My colleague, Diana Armstrong, highlighted the issue well in her contribution. Scams are an insidious method of theft. It is organised crime and the harvesting of information. It creates victims, even big corporate organisations. It is certainly not victimless crime.”
“<BR /> <BR />I thank the Minister for coming to the Chamber and giving us quite comprehensive feedback on the motion and outlining how it sits with the safer communities strand of the Programme for Government. However, it is important to say — this has been said across the Chamber — that the issue sits not just with our criminal justice system and that there has to be a response from all Departments, including Health, Communities, Infrastructure and Finance. Everybody has a part to play in it.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. Tackling scams is not just about catching criminals; it is about protecting dignity, safeguarding savings and restoring trust in our digital and financial systems. Scams can be tackled effectively when there is a joined-up effort on prevention, enforcement and the public awareness of trade. Stronger real-time cooperation between the PSNI, the National Crime Agency, banks and telecom providers would allow suspicious activity to be identified and stopped more quickly, preventing losses before they occur. Better use of shared data and fast account-freezing powers would significantly disrupt organised scam networks. Ultimately, tackling scams successfully depends on making criminals' lives harder while making the public more confident, informed and protected.”