Paedophile jailed after blackmailing girls on Instagram

A predatory paedophile from Essex who blackmailed young girls into sending him nude photographs has been jailed for more than five years.

Keelan Rowley, 20, used sites such as Instagram and Snapchat to target 14 girls, including four who were just 12-years-old.

Rowley, from Ruaton Drive in Clacton-on-Sea, threatened the schoolgirls from Hertfordshire into sending him pictures or videos.

Rowley pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court to a string of charges relating to the sexual exploitation of children.

He was jailed for 64 months, put on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was made the subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Investigating officer DC Suzanne O’Neill, from Essex Police, said: “Rowley was a cold and calculated sexual predator.

“He used social media to target young girls and blackmailed and exploited them to comply with his demands. Two of them were so terrified they did everything he asked.

“However these girls have shown nothing but bravery and courage and have worked with us to make sure Rowley is put behind bars where he belongs.

“We know offenders like Rowley use social media to sexually exploit young people and that’s why we urge people to know how to keep themselves and their loved ones safe online.”

Information about how you can protect yourself online and on social media can be found here: https://www.essex.police.uk/advice/child-sexual-exploitation