MATTHEW PRESCOTT JAILED IN LIVERPOOL FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES
A dangerous convicted paedophile, Matthew Prescott, claimed that his collection of child abuse images was not his own doing but the work of one of his multiple personalities, named 'Alex'.Prescott, 27, explained to a psychiatrist that 'Alex was just there for himself.
I've tried to get rid of him so many times.' Today, he was sentenced to jail at Liverpool Crown Court after it was revealed he had downloaded nearly 2,000 indecent images and videos and had shared some of them.
Merseyside Police raided Prescott's St Helens home in June of the previous year, during which they recovered a total of 1,829 indecent images and videos.
Prosecutor Chris Taylor stated that among these, 240 were classified as Category A representing the most serious material involving child rape, including one image involving a newborn baby.
Additionally, 259 images fell into Category B, depicting boys aged five to seven, while 1,330 images were Category C, showing boys as young as three to five.
Police also found a Samsung mobile phone with the social media app Whisper, through which Prescott had shared around two dozen Category C images.
During investigations into these offences, police executed a further raid on Prescott's Cotham Street home in April, seizing a laptop containing 26 more Category C images.
Following two police interviews in which Prescott maintained a no-comment stance, he later admitted to four counts of downloading, two counts of possessing, and one count of distributing indecent images of children.
His criminal record includes a previous conviction from 2016 for three counts of downloading and one of possessing indecent images, at age 21, for which he received a three-year community order and a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
That earlier collection involved more than 4,000 images.
During a prior hearing, the court was informed that Prescott attributed his recent offences to the influence of a separate personality, claiming that 'Alex' was responsible.
Forensic psychiatrist Dr Lucy Bacon diagnosed Prescott with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD).
Defence lawyer Michael Hagerty acknowledged that this diagnosis was not a legal excuse for the offences but noted Prescott had experienced significant childhood problems, particularly with his father, though that relationship was now good.
He also mentioned confusing issues regarding Prescott's interactions with his mother.
Mr Hagerty explained Prescott's claims of multiple personalities as disassociation, a common symptom of EUPD, and stated that Prescott was not seeking sympathy but hoped to receive help for his condition, either in detention or after release.
Judge Recorder Ian Unsworth, QC, labelled Prescott a dangerous and prolific paedophile during sentencing.
He stated, 'Each and every one of the hundreds if not thousands of children that you have looked at over the years is a victim.
Each and every one of them is being exploited by other paedophiles, by those carrying out their vile abuse upon them, those filming them, and those like you, viewing them.' Prescott, appearing via video link from HMP Altcourse, received a 30-month prison sentence and was also subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
