MATTHEW BOURNE SPARED JAIL IN WORCESTER AFTER SEXUAL OFFENCES

In January 2007, Matthew Bourne, a 25-year-old from Wilden, was involved in a series of disturbing sexual offences in Worcester but was spared a custodial sentence. Bourne had preyed on women by posing as the manager of a modelling agency, leading to several alarming incidents.

He exposed himself to a 24-year-old pregnant woman and physically assaulted a 20-year-old. Additionally, a schoolgirl, whom Bourne had approached when she was only 13, testified that they exchanged mobile phone numbers. Through text messages, he offered her £60 an hour to pose for photographs and called her “gorgeous” and “sexy.” Bourne asserted that he was managing five regular models and was in the process of creating a website for model photos.

Police manipulated the girl into arranging a meeting with Bourne, which resulted in his arrest. A third charge, involving incitement of a child to engage in sexual activity, was not pursued further and was left on file by the prosecution.

Bourne used his fabricated model agency identity to meet strangers in the Blackpole area of Worcester, where he worked as a customer services operator for a computer software company. At Worcester Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to charges of exposure and sexual assault, with the case postponed for a psychiatric report.

Judge Andrew Geddes described Bourne’s crimes as “distressing, frightening and shocking,” noting that his only explanation was boredom during a period when his romantic life was troubled. Bourne told police he was glad when he was caught because it stopped him from offending further.

The judge emphasized that Bourne needed help to address his obsessive behaviour, although he was not suffering from a mental illness. Instead, he was given a three-year community order, which includes participation in a sex offenders’ work programme.

The jury recounted how one victim, who was five months pregnant, rejected Bourne’s offer to pose as a model. Subsequently, he exposed himself on a canal towpath and asked her to perform a sexual act. He also confronted two women in an alley near Sainsbury’s supermarket, grabbing one of them.

Bourne’s solicitor, Ignatius Hughes, stated that Bourne now had a stable relationship and noted that there was no evidence suggesting he was a paedophile. He described Bourne’s public behaviour as “outrageous.”

As part of his penalties, Bourne was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for five years.