THOMAS MCKEOWN CAUGHT IN BELFAST AND HOLYWOOD CHILD PORN SCANDAL

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Belfast and Holywood, Thomas McKeown, a retired teacher with a long-standing career at Grosvenor Grammar School in Belfast, was found guilty of possessing a large collection of child abuse images. The 60-year-old, who resided in Martello Park, Holywood, was discovered to have downloaded and stored over 2,500 explicit photographs depicting children as young as six years old from the internet.

McKeown, who served as the Head of Mathematics and also coached rugby at the school, admitted to viewing a total of 2,685 such images over a span of two years. The images included two photographs that depicted sexual acts involving both children and adults. His guilty plea covered 26 counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, with the offences occurring between January 2005 and January 2007.

The investigation into McKeown’s activities was initiated after police in Downpatrick conducted a search of his residence on March 14 of the previous year. This search was part of a broader inquiry into child pornography activities that was linked to a separate investigation taking place in England. During the search, authorities seized computer equipment from McKeown’s home, which upon examination revealed the disturbing collection of images.

The police analysis classified the majority of the images—2,681 out of 2,685—as falling into the lowest of five categories of child pornography, indicating they were less severe but still illegal. The remaining images were categorized into two higher levels of severity. Evidence also indicated that McKeown had accessed child pornography websites, further implicating him in the possession and viewing of such material. McKeown accepted responsibility for all the images stored on his computer.

Legal representatives for the prosecution, led by Crown counsel David Russell, stated that the children depicted in the photographs ranged in age from eight to twelve, with at least one believed to be as young as six. Defense counsel, QC David Hopley, emphasized that most of the images were in the lowest category and highlighted that McKeown had not distributed the images to others. He also noted that McKeown’s actions had already impacted his professional life.

During the court proceedings, testimonies from colleagues at Grosvenor Grammar School, including William Elliott, the head of the sixth form, described McKeown as “very well respected” within the school community. Despite this, Judge Peter Gibson sentenced McKeown to a 12-month prison term, which was suspended for 18 months. Additionally, McKeown was ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years and was permanently barred from working with children in the future. The case has left a lasting impression on the local communities of Belfast and Holywood, raising serious concerns about the safety and well-being of children and the importance of vigilance in safeguarding efforts.