MATTHEW BENNETT AND SHOCKING SEX CRIME REVELATIONS IN MANCHESTER
Former colleagues of Matthew Bennett, who was employed at a town hall in Manchester before being dismissed, have expressed their profound shock upon learning of the heinous crimes he committed.Bennett, aged 26 and residing on Park Road in Wigan, has recently begun serving a seven-year prison sentence after admitting to a series of severe sexual offences.
His convictions include sending explicit images of himself to girls under the age of 16, persuading a girl aged 12 to send him an indecent photograph, and inciting a mother of a young child to perform a sex act on him, as well as allowing himself to be sexually assaulted by her.
Crucially, the victims and the individuals with whom Bennett communicated were actually undercover police officers operating within the vice squad.
Bennett also acknowledged distributing indecent images of children, which police classified under the lowest severity category, Category C.
The offences took place through online communications between January and July of the current year.
The gravity of his actions was outlined during a court hearing at Bolton Crown Court.
During the proceedings, it was revealed that Bennett had a pattern of flouting the law from the outset.
He initially engaged with two undercover officers on the messaging app Kik, believing they were young girls.
He was arrested on March 3 and subsequently released on bail.
However, his criminal behaviour persisted; on July 20, Bennett interacted with an undercover officer on the adult website XHamster.com, under the mistaken belief that the individual was the mother of a young girl.
He attempted to persuade her to involve her child in illegal sexual activities.
Further details emerged indicating Bennett’s attempts to cover his tracks.
He deleted data from his phone shortly before his arrest but used his real surname in his online username and sent photographs showing his face.
Despite efforts to remain anonymous, his identity and face were clearly visible in the images.
A former colleague from Bennett’s workplace commented on his character, saying, “My background is in counselling and am quite switched on about spotting character traits but I was caught completely by surprise about Bennett.
He just seemed an ordinary guy who kept himself to himself.” This colleague also expressed concern because Bennett worked for the council’s targeted youth services—positions that put him in contact with vulnerable children across schools, community groups, and care facilities.
Although the colleague clarified that the offences did not involve his professional duties, the fact that Bennett was in contact with such vulnerable groups caused alarm.
The former colleague added, “Ten months ago he went off on long-term sick leave, and that was the first sign we had that something was wrong.” Another colleague voiced their disgust and shock upon hearing about Bennett’s guilty plea, describing the revelations as deeply disturbing.
The council issued a statement confirming Bennett's employment termination: “We can confirm that Matthew Bennett was dismissed from Wigan Council as soon as these allegations came to light.
Neither the allegations nor the convictions relate to his employment at the Council.” As part of his sentencing and post-conviction restrictions, Bennett will serve a further five years on extended license.
He will also be subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and required to register as a sex offender for life, underscoring the severity of his crimes and the ongoing measures aimed at community safety.
