Virginia Woman Sentenced for Molestation

(Suffolk, Virginia) Former youth ministry worker Elizabeth Lee Beckett, 23, was sentenced this week to three years in prison followed by five years of probation as a result of pleading guilty to molestation charges.

Beckett, of Hampton, pleaded guilty in February to five counts of taking indecent liberties with the child.

According to a complaint filed by police, Beckett exposed herself to, fondled and had oral sex with the boy several times between 2009 and 2011. Beckett told investigators the contact was consensual.

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Nicole Belote said the incidents began in July 2009 when the boy was 13 and Beckett was 20. She explained Beckett was a close friend of the boy’s family who served as a regular baby-sitter for the family.

The relationship continued after Beckett became a ministry intern working with the church’s youth group. The victim was a member of the group, Belote said.

Beckett was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.