JOSEPH ROWE AND MATTHEW KEOGAN: CRAGHEAD AND NETTLESWORTH SEX OFFENDERS REVEALED IN DISTURBING ONLINE INCIDENTS
In a disturbing case that highlights ongoing concerns about online safety and the behavior of convicted sex offenders, Joseph Matthew Rowe, a resident of Thomas Street in Craghead near Stanley, was found to have engaged in a highly inappropriate online interaction with what he believed to be an 11-year-old girl.This incident occurred despite his previous conviction and the restrictions placed upon him.
Back in October 2016, Rowe was sentenced for a serious offense involving the incitement of a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.
His sentence included strict conditions that prohibited him from using the internet and from making contact with anyone under the age of 16.
These measures were intended to prevent any further offenses and to monitor his online activity closely.
However, in July of that year, the Child Online Safety Team (COST) alerted local police authorities that Rowe had initiated an online conversation with a profile that appeared to belong to an 11-year-old girl.
Unbeknownst to him, this profile was a decoy created by authorities to catch individuals attempting to contact minors for illicit purposes.
The chat quickly escalated into sexually explicit content, with Rowe sending intimate pictures of himself and requesting that the fictitious girl perform a sex act and record it for his viewing.
Following this discovery, police officers executed a search warrant at Rowe’s residence and seized his mobile phone.
The device contained evidence of the online conversations and explicit images, confirming his involvement in the inappropriate communication.
During police interviews, Rowe admitted to the offense, stating that he believed he was communicating with a real child.
His acknowledgment of the crime led to his arrest on suspicion of attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
At a subsequent plea hearing, Rowe, who resides on Thomas Street in Craghead, pleaded guilty to the charges.
Prior to sentencing, a psychiatric report was commissioned to assess his mental state and risk level.
Defense counsel Richard Herrmann argued that, fortunately, there was no real child involved in this case, describing the situation as a case of mistaken belief.
Despite this, the presiding judge, Jonathan Carroll, emphasized the danger posed by Rowe, stating, “As far as he was concerned he was dealing with a real child.” Given the serious nature of the offense and the potential threat to underage girls, Judge Carroll sentenced Rowe to an extended determinate sentence of four years in prison, followed by a three-year period on license.
This means that Rowe will not be eligible for parole until he has served at least two-thirds of his custodial term.
Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender and was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, both of which are to remain in effect indefinitely.
In a related case, Matthew Joseph Keogan of Nettlesworth was also found to have violated the conditions of his sex offender registration.
Keogan, who was convicted in October 2013 for possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornography, was under strict supervision, including regular home visits by police and probation officers.
Despite these restrictions, Keogan secretly accessed internet chat sites and contacted an underage girl, breaching the terms of his notification requirements.
His actions have raised further concerns about the effectiveness of monitoring and the ongoing risk posed by convicted offenders in the community.
