June 15th 2024.
Simon Brown, a 28-year-old father of two, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for the manslaughter of convicted paedophile William 'Bill' Rowe. The incident occurred when Brown went to visit a mutual friend, Rose Ripley, in Borstal, near Rochester in Kent. The trio had been discussing Rowe's crimes after seeing a news article about him.
Rowe had been convicted of child sex offences two decades ago and Brown claimed that he had bragged and boasted about his crimes during the conversation. This caused Brown to fly into an uncontrollable rage and attack Rowe, repeatedly punching and kicking him before leaving him for dead on the floor.
Rowe's body was found more than 27 hours later, and an autopsy revealed that he had suffered 27 fractures to 17 of his ribs. Despite pleading guilty to manslaughter, Brown had initially been on trial for murder. However, after 12 hours of deliberation, the jury found him not guilty.
During sentencing, Judge Julian Smith described Brown's attack as deliberate and sustained, rejecting Brown's claim that Rowe had provoked him with his boasts. The judge also noted that Rowe had denied his offending and had experienced hostility and rejection since his release. The evidence did not support Brown's account of being goaded by Rowe's boasting, as it was not in line with Rowe's attitude towards his convictions.
The judge also addressed the issue of whether the timing of the news article about Rowe's crimes was of critical importance. He concluded that it was not, as he did not find Brown's claim of being provoked by Rowe's boasting to be credible. The judge stated that the attack was not a brief burst of rage, but a deliberate and sustained act that involved considerable force.
In his final remarks, the judge emphasized that the contempt and revulsion that Brown felt towards Rowe was not an excuse for his actions. He urged Brown to take responsibility for his actions and acknowledged the devastating impact it had on Rowe's family and friends. The sentence of 13 years in prison serves as a reminder that violence and vigilantism are not acceptable forms of justice, and the law must be upheld.
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