Author of "Hottest Sex Offenders" list apologizes

(CBS) The author of a Houston Press post with the  inflammatory title "The 10 Hottest Women on Sex Offender List" has apologized and offered an explanation of why he would put people convicted of crimes against children  on such a list.

Special Section: Eye on Parenting

In the statement on the web site,  Richard Connelly,says the idea was designed to "shake up" the notion of a  stereotypical sex offender.

He apparently did. He notes in the apology/explanation that the list "has understandably generated a lot of controversy." 

Connelly admits he was trying to reach more viewers and get more online traffic with his headline.

He writes, "I also wrote an over-the-top intro, trusting that the outrageous headline (Anything putting "hottest" near "sex offenders," I thought, would clearly show over-the-topness) would indicate this was fully intended to shock."

He adds he included the victims' ages to show that "'normal-looking' people" are capable of "monstrous things."

He says, "Glamorizing or trivializing child rape? It did not cross my mind that I was doing that. It should have, it now seems clear. That was never the intent. I hope that would be obvious, but it seems not."

Connelly concludes, saying, "No one ever likes apologies to 'anyone who was offended' because they seem halfhearted. I can only say the intention was to shock (in what I hoped would be a positive way) and not to offend. To a lot of people, I failed miserably. I can understand that, and I apologize to them."