In 2024, the Offender Database recorded that 44-year-old Robert Beer—locally known as Bobby—was jailed for two years and one month for a vicious attack on his girlfriend and her 12-year-old son. Beer appeared at Exeter Crown Court where he was sentenced for assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The investigation established that after a night of heavy drinking at their home in Torquay, Beer dragged his victim from her bed by her hair at 8am, slamming her head repeatedly into walls and the floor until she was rendered unconscious.
The investigation established that when the woman’s 12-year-old son attempted to call the police, Beer turned his violence toward the child, striking him with such force that the boy was thrown ten feet across the room. The prosecution reported that the brave child managed to escape the property and alert neighbours, who intervened to stop Beer as he continued to punch the unconscious woman in the face. Exeter Crown Court heard that the victim suffered severe whiplash and extensive head injuries during the prolonged and ferocious assault.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Beer showed no remorse for the attack, initially claiming self-defence and changing his story multiple times during police interviews. The investigation established that Beer had a significant criminal history, with 21 convictions for 34 previous offences including manslaughter and various domestic assaults. The prosecution reported that his past behaviour was characterised by a pattern of violence against women, including sending obscene death threats and previous counts of battery and actual bodily harm against former partners.
Judge-led proceedings at Exeter Crown Court concluded with Beer being handed a custodial sentence of 25 months. For his actions in Torquay and the “ferocious” nature of the violence reported, he was also made the subject of a lifetime restraining order. The judge noted that Beer posed a persistent danger to women, ordering that he be permanently excluded from entering the town of Torquay upon his release from prison to ensure the ongoing safety of his victims.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Torquay and Devon, the status of Robert Beer as of April 11, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: RELEASED ON LICENCE (Sentenced to 2 years and 1 month in 2024; served custodial term; currently under high-risk community supervision).
- Exclusion Zone: Active for LIFE (Legally prohibited from entering the town of Torquay).
- Restraining Order: Active for LIFE (Total ban on contacting the victims or their family).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children or vulnerable adults; flagged for extreme domestic violence).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Assault occasioning actual bodily harm; Assault of a minor).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Exeter Crown Court; investigated by Devon and Cornwall Police.
- Criminal Record: Convicted of manslaughter; Serial domestic abuser with 34 offences; Dragged victim by hair and slammed head into walls; Attacked a 12-year-old boy to stop him calling 999.
- Origin: Torquay, Devon.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Beer is managed as a high-risk violent offender within the Devon area. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically his “long history of manslaughter and brutal assaults against women and children”—his management is a priority for the Devon and Cornwall Police Public Protection Unit. Authorities state that his history identifies him as an individual with an escalating pattern of lethal violence when under the influence of alcohol, requiring the most rigorous tier of statutory oversight, including mandatory drug and alcohol testing and strict enforcement of his exclusion from Torquay.
As a serial offender, the 46-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that the lifetime restraining order and town exclusion are vital safeguards to prevent further attempts at “revenge” attacks. Any attempt to enter the Torquay area, any failure to report his new address, or any unauthorised contact with the victims will result in immediate arrest to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from a man who demonstrated a persistent and brutal intent to kill.
QUESTION – Given that the offender had 21 previous convictions, including manslaughter, and was still at liberty to nearly kill another woman and child, do you believe that a “Three Strikes” law for violent domestic assault should carry an automatic mandatory life sentence?
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