Paedophile ring leader from Rushden helped others watch sick live streams

A paedophile who played a leading role in an online ring which saw girls paid to live stream sex acts has been put behind bars.

Matthew Mather-Franks, formerly of Redding Close in Rushden, supported other paedophiles who were trying to find vile images of children online.

His group even maintained a Google spreadsheet containing details of young girls, mainly from Russia, who would take part in sexual live streams.

But he was finally caught after a fellow member of the paedophile ring was arrested and police found messages between the two.

Today (Friday) at Northampton Crown Court he was given an extended sentence of eight years in prison and four extra years on licence.

The court heard the 37-year-old was had previously been convicted of possessing indecent images of children and was given a chance to rehabilitate in 2016. He was given a community order and completed a sex offender treatment programme - but instead went on to commit even more serious offences.

His Honour Judge David Herbert QC told him: "The facts show that the work you did as part of that order failed."

He came to the attention of police again when Simon Peach, from Northampton, was arrested in 2020. He was eventually jailed for seven years.

When detectives found a link between the two Mather-Franks had five devices seized - only one of which was registered with police, breaching a previously issued sexual harm prevention order.

He had been using the devices to commit online sexual offences relating to young girls, mainly aged between nine and 12, although some involved infants. Some of the children involved appeared drugged or intoxicated.

An examination found 633 indecent images of children in category A, 392 in category B and 462 in category C. These included still images and videos.

Some had carried out acts requested to them by other members of a live stream and police found evidence of shared images on an encrypted Telegram group. An analysis showed a number of messaging and live stream apps.

Mather-Franks had used his IT skills to help other paedophiles in the online ring, which had between six and 10 members.

They could give in-software gifts to encourage children to do sexual acts on live streams, which could be exchanged for real money. Members of the group would identify children who could be "persuaded" to perform for them.

Judge Herbert QC said that, at one stage, Mather-Franks talked about having a deprived family in Russia who would perform child abuse videos.

He said the group was "well-organised and security conscious" and that they encouraged each other to commit offences.

After being arrested Mather-Franks, who appeared at court over videolink from HMP Peterborough, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, one of paying for the sexual services of a child, one of distributing category A live streams of child abuse, one of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and one or encouraging or assisting the commission of an offence

Judge Herbert QC told him: "You have an entrenched sexual interest in very young girls and you represent a serious danger to them."

He said that the paedophile posed such a risk it was necessary to issue an extended sentence to protect the public.

He said the sentence would have been 12 years had it been a trial, reducing it to eight years because of his guilty pleas.

He will have to serve at least five years and four months behind bars before he can be considered for parole, when he will then serve the remainder and and extra four years on licence. Breaching his licence conditions could see him serve the remainder of the sentence in prison.

A sexual harm prevention order was made indefinitely.