MATTHEW GREEN OF CHELTENHAM ADMITS TO 81 OFFENCES DURING BURGLARY SPREE

Update: Matthew Green is now residing in Clyde Crescent, Cheltenham.

In October 2010, a court heard that sex offender Matthew Green, aged 20, carried out a widespread burglary spree while he was on bail awaiting trial for offenses involving two 13-year-old girls from Gloucester.

Green, formerly of Coltishaw Close, Quedgeley, and currently residing on Severn Road, Cheltenham, admitted to 81 offences, primarily house burglaries, and was sentenced to a total of six years in detention.

He pleaded guilty to sexual activity with each of the two girls and to two burglaries—one in Selkirk Gardens and another in Oakbrook Drive, both in Cheltenham. Additionally, Green requested that 79 other offences be taken into account in his sentencing.

Prosecutor Charles Thomas explained that Green's offenses involving the two girls occurred late last year and early this year. He was arrested in March, and it was during his time on bail pending trial that he committed the burglaries, Mr. Thomas said.

On August 20, Green broke into a house in Selkirk Gardens while the residents were asleep, stealing a laptop and a phone worth approximately £2,000. Ten days later, he raided a residence on Oakbrook Drive.

When questioned by the police after his arrest, Green attributed the burglaries to his significant debts and provided details of the 79 other offences, some of which involved multiple house raids on the same property.

Lynne Matthews, defending Green, stated that he suffers from ADHD and had an abusive childhood. She explained that when not taking medication, Green struggled to think logically or understand the consequences of his actions.

Judge William Hart addressed Green directly, saying, "They may have been rather mature 13-year-olds but nonetheless you were 19 and they were 13. The law is there to protect girls not only from predatory men but also from their own incipient immature sexual desires."

He continued, "While on bail and awaiting trial for those matters, you committed a vast number of house burglaries."

The judge sentenced Green to three years in prison for the sexual offenses, followed by an additional three years to be served consecutively for the burglaries. Furthermore, he imposed an indefinite sex offenders prevention order, prohibiting Green from working with children or being in the company of girls under 16. Green was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life.