DON KNOWLES FROM RUTHIN SENT BACK TO JAIL FOR FACEBOOK FRAUD IN NORTH WALES

In July 2019, Don Knowles, a man with a troubling criminal history, was once again brought before the courts in North Wales, specifically at Mold Crown Court, for a serious breach of his legal obligations as a registered sex offender. The incident involved Knowles creating a fake Facebook account under the alias Don Keogh, an act that authorities deemed a blatant violation of his sex offender registration conditions.

Judge Rhys Rowlands did not hold back in expressing his disapproval of Knowles' actions. He stated that there was no justifiable or innocent reason for Knowles to have set up the false social media profile. As a result, the judge sentenced him to a term of 30 weeks in prison. This decision underscores the seriousness with which the court views breaches of sex offender notification requirements, especially when such breaches involve attempts to circumvent monitoring and restrictions.

Don Knowles, aged 40, who has no fixed address but was formerly residing in Borthyn, Ruthin, was subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) and is registered as a sex offender for life following his previous convictions. His criminal record includes a conviction from 2012, where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the heinous crimes of raping two children and sexually assaulting another. During that trial, it was revealed that Knowles had attempted to bribe some of his young victims with sweets, a disturbing detail that highlighted his manipulative tactics.

The court heard that after his release from prison in September 2018, Knowles continued to pose a risk. In early January of the following year, he disclosed to his probation officer that he had met a teenage girl he believed to be 16, along with an older teenage boy, and had invited them back to his home. He also admitted to having sexual thoughts about the girl, raising further concerns about his ongoing predatory behavior.

Further investigations revealed that Knowles had accessed the Facebook account of the girl, which was under the name of her male companion, on his mobile phone. Although he claimed he was not friends with her on Facebook, it was discovered that he had created a new profile in a false name, Don Keogh, to evade detection. The prosecution clarified that there was no evidence to suggest he had been in contact with the girl through this account, but the act of creating the profile itself was enough to warrant legal action.

During the court proceedings, Knowles admitted to breaching the terms of his sex offender registration by establishing the fake Facebook account. His defense lawyer, Simon Killeen, acknowledged that this was a deliberate breach, but emphasized that there was no sinister intent behind the act, especially since Knowles had accessed the account on a police-registered phone. The defense argued that if there had been any malicious motive, he would not have used the police-registered device to do so.

Judge Rhys Rowlands condemned Knowles' actions as a brazen violation of his notification duties and expressed concern about the high risk he posed to other young people. The judge emphasized that such behavior demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law and the safety of minors. Consequently, Knowles was sentenced to an additional 30 weeks in prison, reinforcing the court's stance on the importance of strict compliance with sex offender regulations and the potential dangers posed by repeat offenders.