MATTHEW BRADLEY FROM CASTLEFORD AND CHADDESDEN EXPOSED IN SHOCKING CHILD ABUSE CASE

In a disturbing case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Castleford and Chaddesden, a former secondary school teacher has been found guilty of possessing a large collection of child abuse images and engaging in voyeuristic acts involving young boys. The individual in question, Matthew Bradley, 25 years old, previously taught science at Lees Brook Community School located in Chaddesden, Derby. His actions have not only brought shame upon himself but have also raised serious concerns about safeguarding and the safety of children in the area.

According to court proceedings, police officers uncovered nearly 2,000 illicit images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of underage boys on Bradley’s personal laptop. Among these, approximately 800 were classified as the most severe category, which typically includes explicit footage of young boys engaging in sexual acts with adults. The investigation revealed that Bradley’s device contained a disturbing collection of material, some of which involved children as young as two years old. The severity of these images underscores the gravity of his offenses and the extent of his involvement in child exploitation.

Further details emerged during the trial, including the revelation that Bradley had secretly recorded a young boy while the victim was naked and showering at a campsite. This act of voyeurism was particularly heinous, as it involved covertly filming a child in a vulnerable state. The school where Bradley was employed confirmed that he was suspended once the allegations surfaced and subsequently dismissed after he admitted to charges of voyeurism and possession of indecent images. This incident marks the second recent scandal involving the school, as in January, another teacher named Christopher Davis was placed on the Sex Offenders Register following an inappropriate relationship with a teenage pupil.

Bradley, a former student of the University of Derby, faced sentencing at Leicester Crown Court. Recorder Martin Hurst handed him a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, emphasizing the seriousness of his crimes. During sentencing, the judge stated, “Anybody who watches that filth should be utterly repulsed. All of the children in those movies and images are real children being abused, sometimes by their own families. But you went further, deliberately filming a young boy by putting your camera phone under a shower divide at a holiday camp.”

Prosecutor Priya Bakshi detailed the police operation that led to Bradley’s arrest. On May 17 of the previous year, officers raided his former residence in Leicestershire, where they seized electronic devices for examination. The analysis uncovered a disturbing collection of images: 747 categorized as Category A, 533 as Category B, and 683 as Category C. These images depicted boys aged between two and 16 years old. Additionally, an iPhone belonging to Bradley contained a video recorded during a holiday at a campsite in August 2017. The footage, which was originally only four seconds long, had been slowed down to 37 seconds and showed Bradley deliberately dropping a bottle of shower gel on the floor of a shower block. When a person in the adjacent cubicle bent down to pick up the bottle, Bradley filmed him through the shower divide, further illustrating his predatory behavior.

Bradley, now residing on Birch Grove in Castleford, admitted to charges of voyeurism and possession of indecent images. His sentencing also included a ten-year sexual harm prevention order and a decade-long registration on the Sex Offenders Register. During the hearing, Bradley’s legal representative, Roxanne Aisthorpe, acknowledged his troubled background, stating, “He’s been living a lie, he’s interested in young boys.” She added that Bradley has been struggling with his own sexuality, now identifying as bisexual, and that he has lost his job, his partner, and everything he once worked for. His parents have reportedly placed restrictions on his devices to prevent further searches for inappropriate material, highlighting the ongoing concern for his rehabilitation and the safety of others.