Jail for Peterborough child rapist who breached order by setting up Instagram account

Edward Matthews, of Taverners Road, Peterborough, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life in 2010 after being convicted of raping two children.

The 26-year-old was also made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) with conditions preventing him from, among other things, using any device capable of accessing the internet and deleting internet history. The order also asks him to make any devices capable of storing images or accessing the internet available to police officers on request.

Officers became aware Matthews had set up an Instagram account in November, and in doing so had breached his Sex Offenders Register notification requirements.

Soon after, Matthews was visited by officers from the northern Public Protection Unit (PPU), a team which monitors sex offenders upon their release into the community.

Officers asked Matthews if he had a mobile phone, to which he handed them a Nokia mobile unable to access the internet. A further search uncovered a Samsung mobile wrapped up and hidden inside Matthews’s jacket.

A Nintendo Switch was also found at the house, together with a damaged Samsung tablet under the kitchen sink.

Matthews had not made these devices available when requested by PPU staff and in doing so had breached his SHPO. He was arrested for this offence and for failing to comply with his notification requirements.

Officers also discovered Matthews had failed to tell them about a gaming alias name and this was a second breach of notification requirements.

In police interview, Matthews denied the devices were his. However, he later pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and two counts of failing to comply with Sex Offenders Register notification requirements.

He was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court yesterday (7 January), where he was handed eight months in prison after it was revealed he had also breached a suspended sentence order.

DC Zoe Rogers, who investigated, said: “Matthews is a high-risk offender who has been monitored extremely closely by the Public Protection Unit for a number of years.

“The SHPO and Sex Offenders Register conditions are in place to protect children from Matthews, who has clearly demonstrated he is a threat to our communities.

“This case highlights the consequences of breaching a suspended sentence order; doing so will more than likely see you behind bars.

“Upon Matthews’s release we will continue to pay extremely close attention to him, including regular visits to his home, checking his electronic devices and any further offending will be put before the courts.”