The 51 year old from West Yorkshire was sentenced on March 6th 2017, after his victim went to the police in 2015. The unnamed woman claimed that McKeown had groomed, sexual assaulted and raped her between the years 1992-1995, from the age of 11 to 16.
According to the panel of judges, the victim said that the abuse ‘started with minor touching and graduated very quickly to non consensual sex’.
The defence lawyer argued that McKeown’s sentence should be amended, as the appellant had not been convicted of any other sex offences in the last 20 years and had an ‘honourable character’, which was evidenced by his work with disabled children and recovering alcoholics.
The prosecution advocated that McKeown’s sentence should remain at 12 years, as he had ‘breached the trust’ of the victim’s mother, who was terminally ill with cancer at the time.
The barrister argued that the minor might have looked to the accused as a ‘father figure’ and his home as a ‘safe haven’.
The court of appeal rejected the sex offender’s plea for a reduced sentence.
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HeadlineJudges reject paeodophile’s appeal for reduced sentence
Short HeadlineJudges reject paeodophile's appeal for reduced sentence.
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The 51 year old from West Yorkshire was sentenced on March 6th 2017, after his victim went to the police in 2015. The unnamed woman claimed that McKeown had groomed, sexual assaulted and raped her between the years 1992-1995, from the age of 11 to 16.
According to the panel of judges, the victim said that the abuse ‘started with minor touching and graduated very quickly to non consensual sex’.
The defence lawyer argued that McKeown’s sentence should be amended, as the appellant had not been convicted of any other sex offences in the last 20 years and had an ‘honourable character’, which was evidenced by his work with disabled children and recovering alcoholics.
The prosecution advocated that McKeown’s sentence should remain at 12 years, as he had ‘breached the trust’ of the victim’s mother, who was terminally ill with cancer at the time.
The barrister argued that the minor might have looked to the accused as a ‘father figure’ and his home as a ‘safe haven’.
The court of appeal rejected the sex offender’s plea for a reduced sentence.
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