ANDREW KEEN SENTENCED IN SWINDON FOR PUBLIC INDECENCY AND HARASSMENT
A man identified as Andrew Keen, 41, was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates Court on April 27th after admitting to charges of indecent exposure and causing harassment, alarm, or distress.The court was told Keen, who resides on Clanfield Road, Park North, approached a 17-year-old girl less than a quarter of a mile from his home on September 26th of the previous year.
Prosecutor Kate Prince described the incident, stating that Keen, dressed in women's clothing, initially asked the girl for the time.
Then, in a bizarre turn, he inquired whether she could give him her clothing for a charity.
When she declined, he asked her to sign his skirt with lipstick, which she did.
During this interaction, Keen lifted his top to expose his genitals, which were protruding from his skirt’s waistband.
The girl, frightened and confused, agreed to take a photograph with him on her own mobile phone, despite Keen asking to have his arm around her, which she refused.
The following day, Keen targeted a 16-year-old outside New College.
He asked her, 'Will you take your clothes off so I can have them?' claiming it was for charity, then requested her phone number.
The girl contacted police to report the incident.
Another offense occurred on September 28th when Keen approached a 17-year-old girl on Queens Drive near New College as she was getting off a bus.
He asked for the time and then requested to borrow her clothes, again citing charity, followed by a request that she remove her clothing altogether.
Fearing his behavior, the girl ran into the college to report the matter, telling officers she now feels anxious and scared about attending.
The police identified Keen based on a photograph the initial victim took.
Defense lawyer Sam Arif described her client as a loner struggling with his sexuality, which his family could not accept.
She explained Keen viewed these encounters as opportunities to speak with young women whom he believed might be more accepting of his feelings.
Ms.
Arif stated that Keen ceased offending once police began investigating and emphasized that he has various issues, primarily learning about sexuality through the internet rather than proper channels.
She suggested that Keen’s offenses, though serious, involved very brief interactions, and her client had difficulty coping with his family situation and identity.
Following deliberation, Chief Magistrate Martin Clarke warned Keen about the potential for imprisonment and expressed concern over his targeting of vulnerable young females.
He said, 'We’ve been thinking long and hard about what to do with you.
What’s worrying here is that you deliberately target certain young females, these are young girls, young ladies, very young.
One of them has actually said she was shocked and confused, she didn’t have a clue what you were talking about.
That’s worrying Mr.
Keen.' The magistrate emphasized the seriousness of the offences, which could range from a community order to a prison sentence.
Ultimately, Mr.
Clarke sentenced Keen to a 24-month community order, banned him from entering both New College sites for 12 months with GPS monitoring, and required him to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activities and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Additionally, Keen must register as a sex offender for five years.
Concluding his remarks, Mr.
Clarke warned Keen that any breach of the order could lead to immediate imprisonment, stating, 'If you break that and end up in that area, you could be going out that back door instead of the front door.'
