JOHN KEELER/CONNOR: BATH AND MANCHESTER PAEDOPHILE STRIKES AGAIN IN DEVON AND CAMBODIA

In February 2016, John Keeler, also known as Connor, of Trinity Road, Bath, faced serious legal repercussions after admitting to breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO). The breach occurred when he was found to have communicated with a young girl, which led to his sentencing of two years and nine months by Judge Graham Cottle at Exeter Crown Court. This incident marked another chapter in a long history of criminal behavior for Keeler, who has been notorious for his repeated offenses against minors.

Earlier in January 2016, Keeler's dangerous and predatory reputation was further cemented when he was re-jailed for his persistent violations of laws designed to protect children. His notoriety extends beyond Britain, as he gained international infamy for his activities in Cambodia, where he became the first Westerner to be imprisoned for child abuse in that country. His criminal record includes a 15-year sentence in Britain for sex offenses, and his actions have repeatedly demonstrated a blatant disregard for the safety and well-being of children.

Despite being under monitored accommodation in Bath, Keeler traveled to Devon during the summer holidays, a period when children are most vulnerable. He booked into a seaside campsite in Paignton, an area bustling with families and children, and set up his tent near a swimming pool used by young people. His presence in such a location raised immediate concerns, especially given his history. Keeler, who changed his surname to Connor after his release in 2013, was arrested after making inappropriate and lewd comments to a 12-year-old girl in a pub beer garden. Witnesses reported that he observed the girl performing handstands and cartwheels, then approached her and said, “do it again please, babe; you’ve got a well fit body,” before asking her to open her legs.

The girl’s family was alerted to his behavior, and they followed him, leading to his detention at the pub until police arrived. During a subsequent search of his tent, officers discovered a sex toy in the pannier of his motorcycle, further evidence of his predatory tendencies. The tent was located at the campsite in Paignton, close to a children’s swimming area, which heightened concerns about his potential risk to minors.

Judge Graham Cottle sentenced Keeler to an additional two years and three months in prison for breaching the SOPO. The court also recommended that he be recalled to serve the remaining five years of his previous 15-year sentence, from which he had been released after serving ten years. The judge emphasized the severity of his violations, stating, “You breached this order by communicating with a girl of 12 who was on holiday with her foster family and happened to be in the beer garden of a public house. You saw this young girl and made very inappropriate remarks, which led to her telling her family and your subsequent arrest.”

He further highlighted the danger Keeler posed, noting, “The circumstances demonstrate the level of risk you pose to young children. It is of considerable significance that you were staying in a single-man tunnel tent at a campsite where children were present in swimsuits. A search revealed a silicone, flesh-colored replica penis in a box on your motorcycle, confirming the ongoing threat you represent.”

Following the incident, authorities ordered the drafting of a new, more restrictive Sexual Harm Prevention Order to prevent Keeler from entering areas frequented by children upon his release. The prosecution, represented by Jonathan Barnes, reminded the court that Keeler was previously banned from any contact with children under a SOPO imposed after his 15-year sentence at Taunton Crown Court for indecently assaulting three young girls. On August 6, outside the Inn on the Quay at Goodrington, Paignton, Keeler made multiple inappropriate comments to the 12-year-old girl, including one where he said, “Open your legs wider so I can lick them.”

His behavior was observed by the girl’s foster nephew, who followed him and brought him back to the pub, where he was easily identified by his long white beard. Defense attorney James Taghdissian argued that the contact was brief and involved no physical touching, asserting that this was Keeler’s first breach of the SOPO since his release in September 2013. He also claimed that police and probation officers monitoring Keeler believed he was making progress and that he was living in supported accommodation in Bath, which he risked losing if returned to prison.

Keeler’s criminal history spans decades, with offenses dating back to 1966. His record includes multiple convictions for indecent photographs and gross indecency, including a 1981 jail sentence at Derby Crown Court for taking indecent photographs of girls he met through his video shop. In 1986, he was again jailed at Taunton for gross indecency while running the same business. His criminal activities extended internationally when he fled to Cambodia, where he was the first Westerner to be jailed for child abuse in 2000. There, he paid children aged eight to ten to perform sex acts in a public park while filming them, leading to a three-year sentence. Keeler protested that he had been double-crossed by a judge he claimed he bribed, but he served his time and was deported back to Britain.

Back in the UK, further allegations from the 1980s and 1990s surfaced, culminating in his 2004 conviction at Taunton Crown Court for 19 counts of indecent assault and two counts of indecency involving three girls under 16. Judge Graham Hume Jones described him as a “cynical and manipulative paedophile who is a danger to young people,” sentencing him to 15 years in prison. Keeler was also ordered to register as a sex offender, disqualified from working with children indefinitely, and subjected to a new Sex Offenders Prevention Order banning him from playgrounds and public swimming pools.

In August 2003, Keeler, then 58 and residing in Manchester, was deported after completing a three-year jail term in Cambodia for child pornography offenses. He had videotaped four girls aged between eight and ten, and pornography from a paedophile website was found on his computer. Despite his criminal record, Keeler paid compensation to his victims and claimed to have bribed officials to avoid jail, though he later threw a tantrum in court over his sentencing. His history of offending and international criminal activity underscores the ongoing threat he poses to children in both Britain and abroad.