Andrew Michael Rowe’s ‘naked night’ text messages to partner as he fights to remain in Australia

A Queensland man who was jailed over threats to send an ex’s revenge porn photos and videos to her father also used to send graphic messages to an ex-partner, a tribunal has heard.

A Queensland man has been jailed for threatening to hold a viewing party of his ex-revenge porn videos.

A Queensland man who was jailed for threatening to hold a “viewing party” of an ex girlfriend’s revenge porn photos and videos “with the boys” and inviting her father to attend, used to send emoji-filled text messages to an ex-partner, a tribunal has heard.

“A feature of Andy’s messages to me were his use of emojis. I knew that if Andy sent me emojis of glasses of beer, a TV, a fireplace, black 8 balls, a camera and a pair of round eyes, that what he meant was that he wanted to see me naked, take photos/videos of me whilst I was naked, drink alcohol and have sex,” she wrote in her statement to a tribunal deciding whether Andrew Michael Rowe can remain in Australia.

“Friday nights and Saturday nights were ‘naked nights’. Andy would purchase lingerie for me, and I was expected to model these items. Then he would expect me to parade naked before him, in front of his wood-fire, lounge and kitchen,” she wrote, adding Rowe routinely photographed her naked and expected her to cook naked and hang out the washing.

“He always told me that they were for his eyes only ... I did not know that ... he had downloaded them to his iPad,” she wrote.

Details of the 53-year-old a UK citizen’s voyeuristic tendencies were revealed after he took his fight to remain living in Australia to court.

Rowe, from Hervey Bay was jailed for one year after he pleaded guilty in the Hervey Bay Magistrates’ Court in 2023 to threatening to distribute intimate images of an ex.

He threatened to release intimate material to the victim’s father and partner and created more than 1000 intimate images and videos of his ex-partner during their relationship.

He was earlier slapped with a suspended three month jail sentence in the same court in 2019 for stalking, and in total he was convicted of 12 crimes over three years.

After the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship cancelled his five-year resident return visa in 2023 because he was not of good character, Rowe fought the decision in the courts.

In a decision handed down by Federal Court acting Chief Justice Berna Collier on Tuesday July 15, she ruled that Rowe’s visa fight should be sent back to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to reconsider.

She ruled that the AAT made errors in relation to assessing Rowe’s rehabilitation, his risk of reoffending against women, and the impact on Rowe’s Australian business.

Last year, the AAT ruled that it would not overturn the decision to cancel his visa.

The tribunal was told by a forensic psychiatrist that Rowe’s actions were likely “a form of coercive control”.

The AAT earlier ound it was plausible that Rowe would find a new girlfriend despite him giving evidence: “I’ve got no intention of ever being in a relationship again”.

A forensic psychologist told the tribunal that Rowe was depressed and likely had a damaged sense of masculinity and a desire for humiliation and degradation of his victim.

Rowe, a father of one who owns a hydraulic fitting business, was also found to have tried to pay his victim $10,000 to not seek a court order against him.

Rowe blamed the revenge porn and stalking crimes on mental exhaustion.

Rowe blamed his revenge porn and stalking crimes on mental exhaustion and “not coping” with his break-up from his partner and her new relationship, the death of his father and work-stress, a report by forensic psychologist Emily Kwok quoted in the decision states.

Dr Kwok’s report to the tribunal submitted that revenge porn is aimed at getting back at an ex-partner for dumping them, proving status in the relationship, exposure of ex-partner, repairing their damaged sense of masculinity, desire for humiliation and degradation of the ex-partner, and desire for control over the ex-partner.

Dr Kwok agreed in the tribunal that Rowe’s actions may be “a form of coercive control”.

“It may be a form of him wanting to still have an element of control in situations where he felt he has lost his control,” Sydney-based Dr Kwok submitted.

Rowe’s barrister Jason Donnelly told the AAT that his client’s crimes were driven by feelings of betrayal and a desire for retaliation, revenge and manipulation.

Rowe told Dr Donnelly: “I’ve read back over the charges and I really cannot understand my thinking back then”, when he was asked why he threatened to release pornographic images of women.

That tribunal heard that Rowe’s actions showed a “trend of increasing seriousness which has escalated from affecting a single victim to another victim’s family”.

“His offending has had serious mental, emotional and physical impact on its victims,” the decision states.

Rowe first arrived in Australia in 2002, when he was 21 years old and he grew a business that fabricates parts for imported hydraulic equipment when spare parts are not readily available, and an earthmoving business.

Solicitor Matthew Hawker, representing the Minister, quizzed Rowe during the AAT hearing last year, with Rowe telling him that the possibility that he would enter a new intimate relationship in Australia was “next to zero. I’ve got no interest now. I’m too old”.

Mr Hawker told the AAT that Rowe produced over 1000 intimate images and videos of his ex-partner during their relationship.

After they broke up, he threatened the victim, her father and her current partner with the public release of those intimate images and harassed the trio.

He bombarded them with emails, texts and left letters at the victims’ address threatening and taunting to show the images.

He threatened to hold “a viewing party with the boys” and invited her father to attend the viewing party.

At this time, Rowe also stalked the woman by continuously appearing at her workplace and home.

Justice Collier agreed with submissions by Mr Hawker that Rowe’s “assertions of remorse” for his crimes were “bare” and “relatively recent.

“Mr Rowe did not identify his victims or make specific expressions of remorse about any individual victim,” Justice Collier noted.