John Beaumont pretended to be a Ministry of Defence official when he targeted fellow students at St Andrews University in Fife between 1986 and 1988.

The 66-year-old produced false identification and consent forms as part of his ruse before subjecting two men and a woman to fake medical examinations.

After striking up a friendship with one male victim, Beaumont claimed he had been tasked with taking secret samples from members of the public by the MoD.

He stated that, based off his medical records, his victim had a heightened risk of developing cancer leaving him ‘terrified’ and believing him that it was true.

The man was later summoned to Beaumont’s room where he was told to sign a false official secrets non-disclosure agreement and warned he would be charged by the authorities if he breached it.

Beaumont then assaulted the man while claiming to take samples from him with a hypodermic needle and performing examinations on several occasions thereafter. Beaumont, who became a sub warden at the Halls of Residence during this period of offending, then targeted a second man on one occasion between 1987 and 1988.

He believed Beaumont’s claims about the ‘secret mission’ after seeing press coverage about radiation blowing over the UK after the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. The victim recalled feeling “embarrassed, awkward and anxious” after Beaumont took a sample from him with a syringe.

A woman was then approached by Beaumont in 1988 and told he had been asked to test her radiation levels by the Foreign Office. She recalled that he was “very convincing” and agreed to the test. She was called to the Halls of Residence, which the accused was responsible for, and examined using a Geiger counter.

Beaumont admitted three charges of indecent assault at the High Court in Edinburgh on October 6, 2023. He was jailed for four years and eight months at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday.

Procurator fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, Katrina Parkes, said: “John Beaumont manipulated and preyed on vulnerable students who should have been safe under his care. He exploited their fears and went to extreme lengths to convince them he was carrying out medical tests in an official capacity. His victims have shown great courage and resilience in holding this man accountable for his crimes.”