ANDREW ROWLEY FROM DALKEITH AND EDINBURGH INVOLVED IN SHOCKING SEXUAL OFFENSES

Police officers responded to a disorderly gathering at a party and, during their intervention, left a young girl in the care of Andrew Rowley, a man with a troubling criminal history. When the officers later returned to his residence, they made a startling discovery: the 14-year-old girl was found lying in his bed, still warm from her recent presence there.

During the proceedings at the High Court in Edinburgh, it was revealed that a police inspector had initially considered Rowley to be the most sober and rational individual among the party attendees. Despite this, Rowley, aged 34 and residing at Greendykes House in Edinburgh, has a long history of sexual offenses. He was previously sentenced to five years in prison for indecency involving young girls back in 1996. Additionally, a sheriff had issued a ban prohibiting him from having any contact with minors.

At the time of the incident, Rowley was on trial for the alleged rape of the same girl, who had attended the Hogmanay celebration intoxicated after drinking a bottle of Sambuca. However, during the court proceedings, Rowley admitted to engaging in unlawful sexual activity with her. His defense attorney, Ronnie Renucci, stated that Rowley acknowledged he had taken advantage of the girl, who was under the influence and might not have consented to sex if she had been sober.

Prosecutor Geoffrey Mitchell explained that the girl had arrived at the party intoxicated, and a disturbance had broken out, prompting police to be called to the scene. The officers, after assessing the situation, left the girl in Rowley's care while they took her friend for questioning. It was during this investigation that police learned the girl was at least 17 years old, which was a mistaken assumption at first. It was also confirmed that Rowley was a convicted sex offender, adding gravity to the situation.

When the police returned to Rowley's flat, they found the girl still in his bed, with the other side of the bed still warm, indicating her recent presence there. As a result of these findings, Rowley was remanded into custody until the following month to allow for further background checks. He was also placed on the sex offenders register, reflecting the seriousness of the charges and his criminal history.