OFFENDER JAILED IN BELFAST FOR ONLINE CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A 53-year-old man named Peter McKeown has been sentenced to ten months in jail after engaging in online sexual communication with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl.Following his arrest, McKeown declared to police, "I’m smarter than the next person," indicating his confidence in avoiding detection.
He was arrested after contact was made through Facebook, where he sent highly sexualized messages to a profile set up by the 'Predator Exposure' organization, claiming the girl was 14 and residing in Leeds.
The police court heard that entrecontact occurred between November 8 and 23, 2023, during which McKeown was described by Judge Sandra Crawford as having sent "highly sexualised" messages on four separate occasions, despite being told on multiple occasions that she was 14.
Furthermore, he sent images, inquired about a Skype call, and attempted to encourage her to engage in solo sexual activity.
When confronted, McKeown maintained that he knew he was not speaking to a child, claiming he was more intelligent than to be caught, and that he believed the other party was an adult.
This fact was also supported by his statements during police interviews conducted after his arrest.
McKeown has a prior record of sexual offences and was subject to a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and was registered as a sex offender for 10 years.
Evidence on his phone also revealed contact with a second 14-year-old girl between November 21 and 23, 2023.
The court heard that he initially denied offending, but pleaded guilty to five charges, including attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to breach a sex offense prevention order.
Defence argued McKeown’s health issues, including a brain injury from a past assault in his twenties, potentially affecting his behavior.
The judge took into account his willingness to participate in programs to reduce risk and noted that although no actual victims were harmed, the offences were serious enough to warrant custody, passing the custodial threshold.
