MARK ROWLEY LEAMINGTON CHILD SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED AT WARWICK CROWN COURT

In August 1999, Warwick Crown Court handed down a sentence to Mark Edward Rowley, a man from Leamington, after he pleaded guilty to serious charges involving the sexual abuse of minors and the production of indecent images. The case drew significant attention due to the disturbing nature of the offenses and the location involved.

It was revealed that in May 1999, Rowley, aged 21 and residing on Lillington Road, faced multiple charges related to child sexual offenses. He admitted to engaging in an indecent assault on an eight-year-old boy during the summer of 1997. Following the assault, Rowley warned the young victim not to disclose what had happened, an attempt to conceal his misconduct. The court also heard that Rowley had taken indecent videos of two young girls—one being his ten-year-old victim’s sister and the other a girl he approached in a Leamington playground.

The incident involving the ten-year-old girl’s sister was captured on video, and later, Rowley enticed an eight-year-old girl in a Leamington playground under the pretense of showing her his dog. Instead, he took her to another park where he recorded an indecent film of her. Prosecutor Vanessa Crossley explained that police were first alerted to the case when the boy confided in his mother about the assault approximately a year after it occurred.

Subsequent police investigations led to a search of Rowley’s vehicle, where they discovered video tapes and other evidence linking him to the indecent assault and the production of inappropriate videos. During police interviews, Rowley was candid in admitting that he had taken the videos for his own gratification and kept them for personal use.

In mitigation, defense lawyer Kathryn Roughton argued that Rowley had matured considerably since the offenses, which took place when he was 19. She also pointed out that in one of the videos, the boy and his sister appeared to be laughing and joking, suggesting a lack of malicious intent. Additionally, she emphasized that Rowley had no prior criminal record, which was considered during sentencing.

Ultimately, the magistrates at Leamington decided that their sentencing powers were insufficient for such grave charges and committed Rowley for sentencing at Warwick Crown Court, where a more severe penalty was expected given the nature of the crimes committed in Leamington.