MATT KEETS FROM BOURNEMOUTH JAILED FOR GROOMING AND SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING SCHOOLGIRL
In October 2020, a man named Matthew Joseph Keets, aged 23 and residing on Bennett Road in Bournemouth, was sentenced to a total of four years and eight months in prison after being convicted of multiple serious charges related to the grooming and sexual exploitation of a minor.Keets had pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, two counts of communicating sexually with a child, one count of possessing indecent moving images, and four counts of possessing indecent images.
The sentencing took place at Bournemouth Crown Court on Thursday, October 29, 2020.
According to the court proceedings, Keets initially made contact with his young victim through a messaging application in August 2019.
During their early exchanges, the victim disclosed her age, stating she was only 14 years old.
Keets, however, falsely claimed to be 17 years old.
Over the following months, their communication escalated, culminating in a consensual sexual encounter at Keets’ residence in October 2019.
The victim was reported missing in November 2019, prompting her family to conduct a search.
She was eventually found at Keets’ address, which led to his arrest.
During police questioning, Keets admitted to engaging in sexual activity with the girl but insisted he was unaware of her true age at the time.
Following his initial arrest, Keets was released on bail under strict conditions that prohibited him from contacting the victim.
However, authorities later received reports that he was breaching these conditions.
In February 2020, police officers attended his residence and found him in the company of the girl.
A subsequent search of his mobile phone revealed a series of messages that demonstrated grooming behavior and manipulation tactics used by Keets to maintain contact with the vulnerable girl.
Additionally, indecent images of her were discovered on his device.
Detective Constable Caroline Gould, a member of Dorset Police’s Child Exploitation Team, commented on the case, stating, “Through the evidence we obtained, we were able to show how Matthew Keets acted in a manipulative way and pursued contact with his vulnerable young victim, even though he knew she was underage.
He continued in this manner even after he had been arrested in October 2019 and released on bail with conditions not to contact her.
We are committed to supporting vulnerable young people who are at risk of grooming at the hands of offenders such as Keets and will do all we can to bring those who commit these despicable crimes to justice.”
