MATTHEW SPRY SENTENCED IN SLEAFORD FOR SEXUAL OFFENSES INVOLVING 15-YEAR-OLD GIRL
A man identified as Matthew Spry has been sentenced to three years and four months in prison after being found guilty of engaging in sexual activities with a 15-year-old girl and sharing explicit videos with her.The incident unfolded in Sleaford, where Spry initially met the young girl while working at a local fair.
Following their initial encounter, he maintained contact with her through Snapchat, a popular social media platform, before arranging to meet her in person.
Prosecutor Victoria Rose outlined that Spry was aware of the girl’s age when he engaged in sexual intercourse with her.
Despite knowing she was only 15, he proceeded with the act.
Additionally, he showed himself masturbating during a FaceTime call, an act that was recorded by the girl.
The girl, described as vulnerable, took a screen recording of the explicit footage on her phone.
She later showed this recording to a support worker, who then contacted the police to report the incident.
The court heard that the girl’s mother became aware of Spry’s contact with her daughter and warned him to stay away from her.
This warning led to Spry’s arrest and subsequent police interview.
During questioning, Spry admitted that sexual intercourse had taken place but initially claimed he believed the girl was 16 years old.
It was only later that he acknowledged he had sent the video and was aware that she was only 15.
At the time of the offenses, which occurred between May 1 and September 17, 2019, Spry was 28 years old and residing on Boston Road in Sleaford.
He pleaded guilty to charges of engaging in sexual activity with a girl under 16 and causing a child to watch a sexual act.
In addition to his prison sentence, he was issued a sexual harm prevention order to restrict his future conduct.
Judge John Pini QC delivered the sentence, emphasizing the gravity of Spry’s actions: “You were a fully grown adult when you committed these offences.
You were the adult and she was a child.
You knew, or very quickly came to know, that she was under age.” In mitigation, Karen Walton stated that Spry had admitted his guilt and had no prior convictions related to sex offences, which was considered during sentencing.
