MATTHEW QUINTON FROM BRIDLINGTON AND HULL SENTENCED FOR SEX OFFENCES INVOLVING UNDERAGE VICTIMS
In September 2023, a disturbing case unfolded involving Matthew Quinton, a convicted sex offender with ties to Bridlington and Hull, who was caught attempting to engage in sexual communication with a decoy he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.The incident was uncovered when police, during an unrelated investigation, discovered messages and emails sent by Quinton to a woman about a young girl.
These communications were carried out on a mobile device that was not registered with the police as part of his sex offender notification requirements.
Further investigation revealed that Quinton had been communicating with a fake profile of a 12-year-old girl, which was actually an undercover police officer.
The messages exchanged between Quinton and the decoy were explicitly sexual in nature.
During these exchanges, Quinton asked the decoy if she had already had sex, made inappropriate comments about his private parts, inquired about her underwear, and even suggested sending her pictures.
Despite the decoy repeatedly asserting her age as 12, Quinton used multiple identities and profiles that had not been notified to authorities as required by his previous orders.
When police arrived at his residence on Baker Street in Hull to arrest him, Quinton attempted to dispose of his mobile phone while in the bathroom.
He requested to use the toilet, and during that time, he tried to get rid of the device.
Police searched the bathroom and recovered the phone, which was unregistered and denied ownership by Quinton, who also claimed he did not possess any phone at all.
His arrest was part of a broader pattern of offending; Quinton had previously served a five-year prison sentence for sexual offenses against children, including sexual activity with a girl under 16, sexual assault of a male, and attempting to cause a boy to engage in sexual activity.
He was also subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order at that time.
Quinton’s criminal history is extensive, with a total of 21 prior convictions.
Notably, in March of the previous year, he was jailed for 18 weeks for breaching the sexual harm prevention order.
His latest actions prompted further legal action, and he pleaded guilty to attempting to communicate sexually with a child, breaching his sexual harm prevention order, and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements.
During the court proceedings, Austin Newman, prosecuting, explained that the evidence came to light through police efforts to investigate unrelated matters, which uncovered the messages and emails.
The messages, exchanged on a phone not registered with authorities, clearly indicated sexual intent.
Quinton’s inquiries about the decoy girl’s sexual activity and comments about his private parts demonstrated his continued predatory behavior.
The police responded swiftly, arresting Quinton at his home.
During the arrest, he asked to use the toilet and attempted to destroy his mobile phone, which was later recovered and linked to his offenses.
In mitigation, defense lawyer Benjamin Donnell argued that Quinton had come to terms with his sexual interests and was seeking help through a “healthy sex” program while incarcerated.
He expressed hope that Quinton would pursue age-appropriate relationships in the future, emphasizing that there was no actual victim involved in the latest incident.
Judge Mark Bury addressed Quinton directly, stating, “Only a sentence of immediate custody can be justified.
Breach of a sexual harm prevention order is a serious offence.
You have a previous conviction for breaching the sexual harm prevention order.
You are not, at the moment, learning your lesson.
There was no harm, in fact, caused because there was no 12-year-old child.” As a result, Quinton was sentenced to three years in prison.
Additionally, he was handed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order, and the mobile phone used in the offenses was ordered to be forfeited and destroyed.
Earlier, in April 2018, Quinton’s criminal record included a conviction for asking a teenager to call him ‘daddy’ during sexual activity, as well as physically assaulting another teenage girl who refused to sleep with him.
He had also met and sexually assaulted a boy, with all victims being under 16.
His interactions with minors were often characterized by manipulation and violence, including instances where he plied a girl with alcohol before engaging in sexual acts and physically assaulted her when she resisted.
Quinton’s criminal activities were further exposed when he was caught by a paedophile hunter group, For Our Kids U.K., after he sent explicit messages to a fake Facebook profile of a 13-year-old girl named Charlotte.
The group’s sting revealed Quinton’s attempts to meet the girl in Blackpool and his desire to be her “secret boyfriend.” He admitted to eight charges, including five counts of sexual activity with a child under 16, one of sexual assault, and two of attempting to engage in sexual communications with a minor.
Judge Jeremy Richardson QC described his actions as “deplorable” and sentenced him to five years in prison.
The judge also imposed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, emphasizing the severity of Quinton’s repeated offenses and the need for ongoing supervision to protect the public from further harm.
