July 2019 Paedophile gets ‘slap on wrist’ for vile offending A paedophile caught with a “library” of 281,000 child sex abuse images walked free from court. Mathew Halliday’s sickening collection featured videos and photos of two-year-old children being raped. The 30-year-old also had extreme porn showing bestiality and pictures depicting “horrific” sexualised violence. When he was arrested, Halliday bragged about a WhatsApp group he said shared files for “shock value”. And the pervert , of Russell Road, Wallasey, told officers: “I hope you’ve all got strong stomachs.” Liverpool Crown Court heard Halliday worked as a security guard at Cammell Laird shipbuilders in Birkenhead . Police searched the home he shared with his partner and her young son in Gabriel Close, Moreton , on April 8 last year. He was present when they seized items including a Samsung Galaxy phone, Hewlett Packard laptop and hard drive. Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, said they recovered 81 Category A – the most serious category – indecent images and videos. There were a further 86 Category B and 281,318 Category C files, showing girls aged two to three, and boys aged 10. Halliday, who also had nine extreme porn movies and pictures, was interviewed by police later that day. Halliday said he was in a WhatsApp group which shared adult porn “altered to be funny”, but denied it was extreme porn. When interviewed again in November, he said he felt “physically sick” at the number of images police uncovered. Halliday said he thought they would find “a handful” of Category C pictures and denied responsibility for all the files He claimed he had no idea where they came from, despite incriminating internet searches on his phone. The paedophile again tried to blame colleagues and suggested his laptop and hard drive were also used by others. His phone featured software allowing him to use the internet anonymously and he had a computer cleaning programme. Halliday later admitted three counts of downloading and one of possessing indecent images of children. The pervert also pleaded guilty to possessing extreme porn. Judge Woodhall said Halliday amassed a “library of indecent images”, including pictures of male and female “infants”, plus animal porn. He said: “The images show very young children being subjected to penetrative sexual activity. “The extreme porn shows shocking and sexualised violence and beastiality.” The judge said there was also reference to a “particularly horrific violent image”, although it was not clear whether this was a real picture. Judge Woodhall said Halliday claimed in a report to have no real recollection of what he had done. He said “Clearly you maintain, in part at least, a denial about your deviant sexual interests.” Judge Woodhall said he was “just persuaded” the public would be better protected by Halliday receiving a community-based sentence. He said Halliday could then attend a Sex Offenders Treatment Programme and his mental health issues could be addressed. The judge gave him 15 months in jail, suspended for two years, 200 hours of unpaid work and a 30-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. He ordered him to sign on the Sex Offenders Register and to comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.