Jail for ‘despicable’ paedophile, formerly of Kirton

A ‘despicable’ paedophile who incited a child to engage in sexual activity has been jailed for more than three-and-a-half years following an international investigation.

‘Dangerous predator’ Matthew Finch pleaded guilty to five offences, several involving the same individual, when he appeared before court officials earlier this year.

The 57-year-old was sentenced to prison for 42 months at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday (December 4).

Finch was sentenced to 32 months for inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and for 10 months for attempting to to cause a child to watch sexual act, which will run consecutively.

He was also sentenced to 12 months for causing a child to watch a sexual act, four months for inciting a child aged 3-15 to engage in sexual activity and one week in prison for possessing category C indecent images of children.

These sentences are to run concurrently.

Finch, formerly of Kirton, was also given a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The result follows a lengthy investigation by Lincolnshire Police, with officers working alongside partners across the country and abroad to bring Finch to justice.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said: “This case shows the vulnerability of children to predatory sexual behaviour online – but we won’t tolerate this in Lincolnshire.

“Finch is a dangerous offender and the offences, including those against a child under 13 years of age, are despicable.

“This case also demonstrates excellent teamwork between Lincolnshire Police POLIT (Paedophile Online Investigation Team) staff and colleagues and partners both nationally and internationally.”

Detective Inspector Leonard from NEROCU (North East Regional Economic and Cyber Crime Units), said: “Finch is a dangerous predator and thanks to an excellent police operation he is facing the consequences of his vile actions.

“This case shows our dedicated and specialist team works tirelessly with partners across the country to bring offenders to justice.

“We would always encourage anyone with information about this type of offending, or anyone who thinks they have been a victim to come forward and talk to police – you will be supported.”

A Lincolnshire Police statement read: “If you’ve been the victim of rape or sexual assault, please report it to us as soon as possible.

“Even if you’re not 100 per cent sure, we want to hear from you so that we can make sure you’re safe.

“If you’re not ready to talk to the police just yet, that’s OK.”

For more information about organisations that can help you, visit here.

You can report a rape and sexual assault here.