EXETER OFFENDER LEWIS MCKEOWN SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES

A paedophile from Exeter, Lewis McKeown, has appeared in court after offering money to children in exchange for sexual images of themselves. The court was told that McKeown convinced a 13-year-old to send him intimate photographs and also downloaded images of child abuse from the internet. The police traced him after Twitch, an online streaming platform, reported suspicious behavior involving sexual communication with children. Authorities seized four devices from McKeown and discovered 77 indecent images of children, alongside evidence of conversations with children in the UK, as well as in Canada and Germany. Some of these chats from Snapchat were saved by McKeown for his own sexual gratification.

The 29-year-old admitted to three charges of downloading indecent images of children between 2017 and 2022, one charge of engaging in sexual communication with a child, and another of causing a child to view an explicit image. The court was informed that McKeown has autism, ADHD, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and that his risk can be managed within the community. He received a three-year community order, which includes unpaid work and participation in a sex offender program.

Prosecutor Lewis Aldous explained that Twitch had flagged suspicious activity in November 2020, but it took two years for police to execute a warrant and attend his address. An analysis of his devices revealed a collection of 17 images and videos classified as the most severe category of child abuse, along with a sexual interest in girls aged between four and 14. McKeown was in direct contact with one 13-year-old girl, who had sent him two images stored on his hard drive. Additionally, he sent her a video featuring adults engaging in sexual acts. Further conversations with other children were uncovered, and prosecutors highlighted that he offered money in exchange for images of female children. McKeown also exchanged texts with an adult role-playing as a child.

He has no prior convictions. Rachel Smith, defending him, stated that McKeown had found the investigation burdensome but had cooperated fully and admitted guilt. She explained that unresolved childhood trauma and a pornography addiction had contributed to his actions, describing his difficulty with social skills and his tendency to communicate more easily with children. She stressed his determination to reform and argued that imprisonment would be traumatic for him.

Judge Anna Richardson noted that McKeown’s mental and emotional maturity was less than his actual age. She sentenced him to 200 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation supervised by probation, a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and ordered him to register as a sex offender. The judge also warned that any breach of the community order could result in him being brought back to court.