RAYMOND KEELEY: KEIGHLEY PAEDOPHILE SENTENCED FOR CRIMES IN THE PHILIPPINES AND UK
In September 2021, Raymond Keeley, a 76-year-old man from Keighley, was sentenced to 17 years in prison after being convicted of heinous crimes committed against a young girl in the Philippines.The court heard that Keeley had repeatedly assaulted the girl, who was only six or seven years old at the time, during the years 2008 to 2010.
The jury at Bradford Crown Court found Keeley guilty of carrying out these sickening acts, which involved three separate rapes of the child.
The victim has since suffered from severe psychological trauma, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, and flashbacks, highlighting the profound and lasting impact of Keeley's actions.
During the sentencing, Keeley's legal representative, Camille Morland, expressed concern over her client's future, stating that he was unsure if he would survive the lengthy imprisonment, fearing that he might never see the outside world again.
The presiding judge, Recorder Jonathan Sandiford QC, addressed Keeley's motives and character, emphasizing that he must have hoped this day of reckoning would never arrive.
The judge condemned Keeley's exploitation of the economic disparity between himself and the child's family, describing his conduct as that of a 'sex tourist' in the Philippines.
The court labeled Keeley a 'devious predatory paedophile' who inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on a defenseless young girl.
The judge further condemned Keeley's age, noting that he was old enough to be her grandfather, and accused him of using the girl solely as a sex object.
As a result of his crimes, Keeley received a substantial prison sentence of 17 years, along with an additional one-year license period upon release.
This was not his first conviction; in 2017, Keeley was sentenced to three years at Bradford Crown Court after fleeing the UK to start a new life in the Philippines with a Filipino bride he met via Facebook.
He had used funds from a secret bank account to purchase a flight to Manila, despite being under court orders to attend the Sex Offender Treatment Programme for his previous offenses involving a six-year-old girl.
Keeley's earlier conviction in December 2012 involved a two-year jail term for six counts of sexual assault against the same girl during visits to the Philippines.
However, this sentence was later reduced by the Court of Appeal to a three-year community order, contingent upon his participation in the treatment program.
The alarm was raised when Keeley missed scheduled appointments with probation officers and used a hidden credit card to access a bank account, which he kept secret from authorities.
This enabled him to travel from Portsmouth to France by ferry and then fly to Manila.
His disappearance was detected in October 2013, prompting a missing persons alert.
West Yorkshire Police and Interpol launched a search, and Keeley was eventually located in the Philippines on March 14 of this year.
He had been detained there for four months before funding his own flight back to the UK, citing overcrowded and rat-infested conditions in detention.
Upon his return, Keeley was arrested and brought before Bradford and Keighley Magistrates' Court, where he pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching the sex offender register by failing to disclose his bank account and leaving the UK without permission.
His legal team, represented by Mrs.
Jayne Beckett, explained that Keeley's two-year jail sentence was reduced to a community order because he had cooperated with authorities by confessing his crimes to his church.
Mrs.
Beckett described her client as a solitary and desolate individual who had little to live for in this country, emphasizing that he had maintained his marriage and deeply regretted his actions.
She also noted that there was no evidence of misconduct while he was on the run.
The judge, Recorder Tahir Khan QC, condemned Keeley's decision to leave the UK, describing his breaches as 'gravely serious' and placing them at the highest level of severity for such offenses.
Further back in his criminal history, Keeley, then aged 67, was jailed in December 2012 for two years after admitting to sexually abusing a six-year-old girl during trips to the Philippines.
He had previously disclosed his offending to his bishop and sought help, revealing that he had been abused himself as a teenager by a teacher.
During sentencing, Judge Shaun Spencer QC acknowledged Keeley's remorse and characterized his offenses as a course of conduct, aggravated by the breach of trust and the number of incidents involved.
Keeley's actions, which involved allowing the girl to sit on his lap and attempting to kiss him, were described as abusive, though there was no indication of nudity during the abuse.
Throughout these proceedings, Keeley's character was described as remorseful, and he expressed deep shame for his conduct.
His case underscores the serious consequences of sexual offenses against children, especially when combined with breaches of court orders and attempts to evade justice.
The court's sentences reflect the gravity of his crimes and the need to protect vulnerable children from predatory individuals like Raymond Keeley from Keighley.
