SEAFORTH PAEDOPHILE MATTHEW ATKINSON SENTENCED AFTER HORRIFIC CHILD SEXUAL IMAGE DISCOVERY

In June 2021, a disturbing case unfolded involving Matthew Atkinson, a man from Seaforth, who became the subject of public outrage and legal action following a series of heinous crimes related to child exploitation and abuse. The incident began when a woman, a former colleague of Atkinson, reported to the police that a fake online profile using her photograph was being used to target young boys on social media platforms, specifically Snapchat.

According to court proceedings, the woman noticed that her image was being employed in a profile that appeared to feature an 'attractive young woman,' with the apparent intent of luring children into conversations. She reported her suspicions to authorities on July 8 of the previous year. The police investigation quickly revealed that the Snapchat account was involved in the exchange of sexually explicit images and messages involving underage boys. Further inquiries linked this account to another profile, MJAtkins84, which was traced back to Atkinson’s former residence in Seaforth, where he resided with his girlfriend.

Authorities discovered that Atkinson had created additional accounts, all featuring the same woman’s photograph, and had made requests for sexually explicit content to be sent to these accounts. The police executed a raid on his home in August, seizing multiple electronic devices, including mobile phones and a computer. The seized devices contained a horrifying collection of 457 indecent images of children, categorized into three levels of severity: 86 in Category A, 249 in Category B, and 249 in Category C. The Category A images depicted the most severe abuse, including photographs of a boy as young as 18 months and a girl as young as two years old, both in vulnerable states, with some images showing children wearing nappies. A video also showed a child approximately 18 months old being sexually abused.

The other categories involved images of infants as young as 12 months. The investigation also uncovered that Atkinson had previously been convicted of theft and had conducted online searches using terms associated with child sexual abuse. During police interviews, Atkinson admitted to possessing the images but claimed he could not remember how or why he had them. He faced multiple charges, including one count of possessing indecent images and three counts of downloading such images.

Judge David Swinnerton addressed the court, emphasizing the severity of the images, which involved extremely young children and babies being sexually abused. The judge highlighted the traumatic impact on the victims, noting that such images are distributed online to satisfy the perverted desires of offenders like Atkinson. Although the charges did not directly involve his activity on Snapchat, the use of a deliberately provocative profile picture to attract young boys was considered a troubling aspect of the case.

During sentencing, Judge Swinnerton acknowledged Atkinson’s denial of being sexually attracted to children but accepted that he had sexual fantasies or dreams about young boys. The judge inferred that the evidence pointed to a sexual interest in children, including infants. Considering the vulnerability of the victims, the judge increased the starting point of his sentence to 18 months but, due to Atkinson’s guilty plea, reduced it to 12 months. The sentence was suspended for two years, contingent upon Atkinson’s participation in an intensive rehabilitation program designed to prevent any progression from viewing images to actual contact with children.

Furthermore, Atkinson was ordered to attend a Horizon sex offenders treatment program, complete a 30-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, and perform 100 hours of unpaid work. He is also required to adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and register as a sex offender for ten years, ensuring ongoing monitoring and restrictions to protect the community from further harm.