SOUTHEND PAEDOPHILE MATTHEW TOMS SENTENCED TO 11 YEARS FOR ONLINE SEXUAL OFFENCES INVOLVING TEEN GIRLS
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Southend, Matthew Toms, aged 41, has been handed down a substantial prison sentence of 11 years after being found guilty of engaging in heinous online sexual misconduct involving underage girls.The offences came to light after Toms, who resided on Dalmatia Road in Southend, posed as a 14-year-old boy on social media platforms, specifically Instagram, with the intent of luring young girls into sending him explicit images.
He targeted two girls, aged 13 and 15, whom he knew through familial connections—relatives of a former friend.
His deception was uncovered when one of his victims, in an attempt to identify him, entered his phone number into WhatsApp, which then displayed his photograph, exposing his true identity.
This revelation prompted the victim’s mother to contact the police, leading to Toms’s arrest on August 19 of the previous year.
Following his arrest, law enforcement officials examined Toms’s mobile device and uncovered a series of incriminating conversations.
These initially appeared to be innocent but soon escalated into sexually explicit exchanges.
The police investigation revealed that Toms had been engaging in increasingly inappropriate and illegal behavior over a period extending from 2015 to 2019.
During a subsequent police visit on October 23, officers checked on Toms’s compliance with a previously issued sexual harm prevention order, which had been imposed in 2015 after he was convicted of possessing indecent images of children.
It was during this visit that Toms confessed to hiding a hard drive in the arm of a chair in his bedroom.
The hard drive contained hundreds of indecent images and videos of children, including the most serious Category A material.
This evidence further implicated him in his criminal activities.
The investigation also uncovered that Toms had recorded himself engaging in sexual acts with one of the girls while she was asleep, over her clothes, and had secretly filmed her in the bath.
These acts of voyeurism and sexual assault formed part of the charges he faced.
In total, Toms admitted to 12 charges, which included sexual assault, inciting children into sexual activity, voyeurism, and breaching his previous court orders.
The judge, Samantha Leigh, sentenced him to six years in prison, with a minimum of five years to be served on license following his release, effectively resulting in an 11-year sentence.
During her sentencing remarks, Judge Leigh highlighted the impact of Toms’s actions on his victims.
She noted that one of the girls was grossed out by his behavior and had ceased all contact with him.
The judge also acknowledged her maturity and sensibility in recognizing the inappropriate nature of his conduct, which made her a victim of his predatory behavior.
