AIBU: sex offender at my social gathering

[HoppyFish]

Hi folks. Not sure this is the best place to post this but I value your advice. I have been going to a nice life drawing session for years. Nothing sexual about it, it's more of a social gathering, with music, a cuppa, bit of food, and drawing/painting with fellow artists. However, there's a man, in his sixties, not a professional artist, who makes me uneasy. He is always quick to befriend any young female attendees or models, and invites them to his studio or home for photoshoots (for portrait work) and possibly painting. I suppose some people would describe him as a 'creep'. He never asks males, middle-aged or older women. He also sometimes stops drawing early, moves position, and sits staring at the model (when female) as if in a trance. Now, I suppose there is nothing wrong in any of this - an amateur artist wanting to paint portraits maybe wants to specialise in young females. And maybe when staring at the model without drawing he is simply studying anatomy or light and shadow. Anyway, my uneasiness led me to do a little online research on him, and I have discovered that he was jailed for downloading indecent images and mainly videos of children, levels 1 (most serious) to 5, involving men having sex with girls, aged between 2 and 9. He was jailed for a year and spent 10 years on the register. I expect he came off the register around four years ago. I think I am the only one who knows this, and it makes me feel even more uneasy about him. But is there anything to be concerned about? All the models and attendees at the life drawing session are over eighteen. I suppose I should just let him get on with his hobby, but I can't help continuing to feel uneasy, especially when I see him swapping numbers with every new young woman who he encounters. I expect they are impressed by the 'portrait artist' wanting to paint them, but I wonder if they would be keen to pose for him if they knew what I knew, and if they knew he never seems to produce any finished paintings? Am I being unreasonable? Thanks for your time.

It's not just that he's attending the class, he's using it to gain access to the models outside of it. Huge red flag.

Let's be honest, if he was rehabilitated, realised the error of his ways etc he would NOT be putting himself in an environment with young naked women, even if he really loved art (does he hell). He'd want to avoid anything that might attract him, and avoid any chance of being wrongly accused of dubious intentions if his past was discovered.

But no. He's put himself right there, the arrogant sod. Hiding in plain sight is right.
Pleased you're speaking to the organiser OP.

I notice this poster still hasn't elaborated what trouble the OP could get into

Huh? No, we do it because we enjoy the job and being part of creating art and yes, to earn extra money. No, we do not consider artists and photographers to be extremely important and exciting, they are just people who are part of the artistic process, the same as we are, they bring the vision and the tools, we bring our bodies/faces and everyone works together to get the pictures. Supposing that we must have low self-esteem is a wild assumption to make.

You need to let whoever runs the class know asap. He needs to be removed from the class for the sake of the models. I wouldn’t tell the others unless they don’t do anything. Also report everything you’ve said to the police.

"I'm aware that he's asked one young female model (late twenties maybe), and he asked the model last week (maybe early thirties), "

OK, I agree, this guy does appear to you to be creepy. I get that.

But when you were talking about "young models", I was imagining young girls around 18.

Now you say that they are women in their late 20s and early 30s?

You seem to be changing the story a bit.

I think it depends on the conditions. I know someone who was convicted of multiple sex offences against 16 year olds. His bail conditions were that he wasn't allowed to work with anyone under the age of 18. If the police don't consider him a threat to a specific population then it won't be stipulated in the conditions.

You do have to be careful because as someone said, how sure can you be it's the same person? I'd turn it to the police. If it is, then they will know and then at least you will know that you've done what you can.

You really don’t see the problem ? With the behavior that he is displaying regardless of any previous conviction these women are at risk. How do you classify vulnerable ? They go to his studio and are alone with him they immediately are vulnerable to exploitation or assault.

I was surprised at the lenient sentence, too. Find it hard to believe.

I say 'young models' because most of our models are middle-aged or old. The first attendee he had modelling for him (portrait, not nude) that I was aware of was a university student. The second was somebody of the same age. The third was another attendee, aged 30. What makes me uneasy is that he only asks young women (I call 30 young), usually attractive. He never asks men or older women to pose for him.

Do you think a woman in her early 30s is better able to stop someone from sexually assaulting her when she's alone with him at his home than a woman in their late teens?

What if any of the women have young kids at home or babies. I assume he maybe thinks he will get to be around them. I think you should inform the person running the classes.

As an artist myself, I love to draw and paint men and women of all ages, but find older people, particularly men more interesting for portraits. In my experience, most portrait artists dislike painting young women due to the lack of lines, folds, light and shadow which make painting interesting, and which make finding your way around the face easier.

When I say 'somebody the same age', I mean same age as the university student. Not the same age as him.

His conviction may be spent, but he’s not participating in the choir, amateur metalwork class or book group is he? His hobby is life drawing nude models with extra interest shown to the younger female models.

Sounds super dodgy and creepy. Those models deserve to have clothes on when interacting with sex offenders even if the conviction is spent.

@Forthispostonlyanewname Thank you, that was interesting and helps to explain something that I wondered about.

I do quite a bit of research around genealogy and family trees etc. Part of this involves visiting graveyards and looking at church records etc.

When I'm visiting a new church I'll usually check to see if they have a website and I'm always struck how there is always, and I do mean always, a very serious safe guarding policy clearly mentioned on the website.

It does seem to be taken very seriously indeed these days.

Ask the organisers about their safeguarding policy. Let them know you are concerned about his behaviour and googling his name has raised serious concerns

They can ban him from the class, of course. If you were one of the life models would you want this person staring at you for a couple of hours every week?

His photograph is in the article by the way.

FFS, some of these poster. Served his time my arse.

Second chances for paedos around naked young women, wcgw. 👍

Ashamed to be on MN sometimes. Serving your (inadequate) time doesn't make you a safe and trustworthy member of the community. I'd sooner see anyone involved in images of children incinerated.

I read it as he had images of men raping young girls, not that he was the rapist

You're right to be uneasy.

I found myself in a similar situation some years ago. The man concerned was supposedly reformed. He wasn't.

Whilst in prison, further charges were pressed against him. He'd also abused and coerced a young woman he was living with.

He died in prison.

My thoughts too. I'm a victim of it and it never goes away. I have flashbacks in my head that won't go away and I can't stop feeling in my body where they touched me. Therapy helps but I'll never be the person I want to be.
Paedos rot in hell 🔥🔥🔥
I have chronic insomnia and dissociation because I cant stop worrying that someone will touch my body.
Don't normalise that shit, these people do what the hell they want because they know they will most likely get away with it.

"Do you think a woman in her early 30s ..."

This guy is a convicted pedo. As many others have said above, they don't really change.

He downloaded images of very young girls. Frankly, if this woman has daughters of her own then that is the area of concern.

As a 60+ year old man, he really is not going to be assaulting an adult woman. If she has daughters of an age that he is attracted to then that is a different matter.

Print the info you have and drop it into whoever organises the classes. It does sounds worrying.

You don't think a man in his 60s can sexually assault an adult woman?