BRADFORD MAN ALEX KELEHER ESCAPES JAIL AFTER SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING UNDERAGE GIRLS
In a case that has shocked the community of Bradford, Alex Keleher, a young man now aged 22, was found guilty of serious sexual offenses involving underage girls, yet he was spared imprisonment during his sentencing at Bradford Crown Court.The court heard that Keleher’s misconduct took place during a period when he was between 16 and 18 years old, specifically from 2012 to 2013, a time when he was still a minor himself.
Prosecutor Richard Woolfall detailed to the court that Keleher had engaged in online communications with young girls, which eventually led to physical encounters.
These interactions were consensual, but the criminal aspect arose from Keleher’s secret recording and distribution of explicit images and videos involving the girls.
Woolfall emphasized that some of these illicit images and videos were later uploaded to the internet, causing further harm and distress.
The court was informed that Keleher, who resides on Apperley Road in Idle, Bradford, had met a girl through the social networking site Tagged when he was 16.
This girl was younger than him, and their relationship included sexual activity.
During this encounter, Keleher secretly filmed her performing oral sex on him.
Despite telling her he would delete the footage, it eventually appeared online, adding to the severity of his misconduct.
Further allegations revealed that Keleher had also secretly filmed another girl, with whom he was in a relationship when he turned 18.
This incident involved the pair sharing a shower, during which he recorded her without her knowledge.
These actions contributed to his charges of sexual activity with a child and making indecent images of children.
Keleher pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a minor and three counts of producing indecent images.
Following his arrest in March 2014, police examined Keleher’s computer and discovered various files, including footage of him engaging in sexual acts with another girl.
Keleher claimed he could not remember her name, and he denied responsibility for the images being online, citing issues with his computer that he described as “weird.” The prosecution noted that there was insufficient evidence to prove Keleher himself uploaded the material, but the damage was already done.
In mitigation, solicitor Gillian Batts highlighted that Keleher suffers from intellectual difficulties and does not exhibit predatory tendencies, as confirmed by the probation service.
A report indicated that he had not committed any further offenses over the past four years.
Based on this, the court considered a community disposal, supported by a stringent Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), to be appropriate.
Addressing the court, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, the Recorder of Bradford, acknowledged the gravity of Keleher’s actions and the importance of public awareness.
He stated, “He knows now, and the public know, that it is wrong, very wrong.
Nobody should take a photograph of another person when they don’t want it.” The judge expressed hesitance but ultimately decided that a community order was the most suitable punishment, as imprisonment could have been appealed and won by the defense.
Consequently, Keleher was sentenced to a two-year community order, a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and was mandated to complete a sex offenders treatment program.
Additionally, he received a two-year supervision order and was ordered to perform 200 hours of unpaid work, emphasizing the court’s focus on rehabilitation and public safety.
