MATHEW RACE FROM BAMBER BRIDGE CAUGHT WITH 13,000 CHILD PORN IMAGES IN PRESTON

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Mathew Ian Race, a 40-year-old forklift truck driver residing on Station Road in Bamber Bridge, was apprehended after a mobile phone he had lost was discovered to contain a vast collection of illegal images. The incident unfolded when a group of teenage girls found the phone on a bus and, upon examining its contents, uncovered a horrifying cache of indecent photographs and videos involving children.

Prosecutor David Clarke explained to Preston Crown Court that the origins of the police investigation were quite unusual. The teenage girls, upon discovering the phone, managed to access its contents and found disturbing images. One of the girls immediately alerted her mother, who then contacted Lancashire Police to report the find. This led to a detailed investigation that uncovered more than 13,000 illicit images spread across two mobile devices.

Officers from the Online Child Investigation Team responded swiftly to the case. They visited Race’s residence on Station Road, where he lives alone. During questioning, Race admitted that he had lost his mobile phone on a bus, which was the device in question. The police seized several electronic items from his home, including a Huawei mobile phone, which Race voluntarily handed over. The investigation revealed that the images included material involving children as young as five years old, with some videos also present.

In his interview with authorities, Race admitted that he had sourced these images from certain websites and that viewing such material had become a compulsive habit for him. He explained that he kept his phone away from his nephews and nieces when they visited, indicating an awareness of the inappropriate nature of his actions. Race stated that he had owned the HTC phone for approximately four or five years, and he acknowledged that his behavior had become uncontrollable.

The court heard that Race possessed indecent photographs categorized into different levels of severity. Specifically, he admitted to possessing 280 images classified as Category A, the most serious under law, along with 209 images at Category B and a staggering 12,449 images at Category C. These images included both photographs and video clips involving young children, some as young as five years old.

In sentencing, Recorder Michael Murray described the case as one involving a clear cycle of abuse with profound physical, psychological, and sexual repercussions for the children depicted. He imposed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with a requirement for 120 hours of unpaid community service. Additionally, Race was subject to a three-year sexual harm prevention order to restrict his contact with minors.

Judge Murray emphasized the severity of the offense, stating, “There’s clearly a cycle of abuse which has physical, psychological, and sexual repercussions for the children involved.” The case highlights the ongoing threat posed by individuals like Race, who exploit and harm vulnerable children through the possession and distribution of illegal images, with the incident serving as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilant law enforcement and community awareness in combating such crimes.