Former BBC Radio Bristol presenter Peter Rowell has been imprisoned once again after admitting to breaching his sex offender notification requirements, specifically by being at a property with a child under the age of 18. The 67-year-old, who was previously jailed for six years in 2012 for a series of sex attacks on young girls, received a 29-week sentence for the latest offences.
Details of the Latest Breach
Rowell pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching sex offender notification requirements. The court heard that he travelled 30 miles to Pontypridd in South Wales and stayed at an address with a child under 18 for over 12 hours without informing the police of his whereabouts. Additionally, he failed to notify authorities about an address where he had stayed for seven days or longer between November last year and March.
Previous Convictions and Background
In 2012, Rowell was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to 12 counts of indecent assault on girls under the age of 16, involving five women who were victims between 1989 and the early 1990s. He also admitted to six counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, having downloaded more than 400 images. These offences led to his placement on the Sex Offenders' Register.
Rowell's career included presenting the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Bristol, reading news bulletins on ITV West for over a decade, and working as a DJ for commercial radio station GWR in the 1980s. His criminal activities came to light in 2011 when he triggered a police hunt after being reported missing, with his car found in a supermarket car park and later in Keswick, Cumbria, leading to his arrest in April 2011.
Judge's Remarks from 2012 Sentencing
During the 2012 sentencing at Bristol Crown Court, Judge David Ticehurst highlighted the severity of Rowell's actions. He stated that Rowell had used his celebrity status to attract and abuse young girls over a period of five years, describing it as a series of offences rather than an isolated incident. The judge emphasised that Rowell exploited his media connections to enable the sexual abuse of minors, hiding a dark secret behind a public image of success.
The latest breaches occurred over a decade after his initial imprisonment, underscoring ongoing concerns about compliance with sex offender regulations. Rowell, from Wickwar in South Gloucestershire, remains a convicted paedophile with a history of targeting vulnerable young individuals.
