A 26-year-old man from Cumbria who abused two children, retained hundreds of indecent images, and held a woman captive during an overnight ordeal of physical violence has been sentenced to an extended term of ten and a half years at Carlisle Crown Court.
Jake Mattinson-Smith, of Cleator Moor, Cumbria, appeared for sentence after entering guilty pleas to a series of sexual, violent, and public order indictments following an inquiry conducted by Cumbria Constabulary.
The court was told that Mattinson-Smith engaged in online deception by adopting a fictitious profile on Snapchat, claiming to be 15 years old to target and groom a 14-year-old schoolgirl. Knowing her true age, he met with the child on three occasions and committed eight separate offences of sexual activity with a child. The grooming unraveled after the victim telephoned his mobile device and his partner answered the call.
A subsequent forensic examination of the mobile phone by police uncovered 396 indecent photographs and videos of children, including 149 classified as Category A, the most severe category under UK law, depicting children as young as four years old. Further digital evidence revealed that Mattinson-Smith had recorded himself sexually assaulting a second, very young child on two separate occasions.
The court then heard details of an ordeal of violence inflicted upon a woman after Mattinson-Smith became enraged over messages on her mobile phone. Aware that his sexual offending would lead to imprisonment, Mattinson-Smith destroyed her device, looped a length of rope around both their necks, and stated that they would die together. Over the course of the night, he headbutted the woman repeatedly, followed her into a bathroom carrying a bottle of bleach while wearing latex gloves, pushed her down stairs wrapped inside curtains, and gagged her with a sock to suppress her cries for help. The survivor eventually escaped through a window and sought sanctuary at a neighbouring address.
Officers locating Mattinson-Smith near a local lake found him armed with a knife; during the arrest, he threw a beer can that struck a female police officer in the forehead.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992 and Section 49 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933, all victims of sexual offences and child complainants are protected by automatic, lifelong statutory anonymity. Publishing, broadcasting, or disseminating any details, names, addresses, educational facilities, or photographs capable of leading to the public identification of protected individuals is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Mattinson-Smith pleaded guilty to:
- Two counts of sexual assault of a child
- Eight counts of sexual activity with a child
- Three counts of distributing or possessing indecent images of children
- One count of false imprisonment
- One count of criminal damage
- One count of assault by beating
- One count of assaulting an emergency worker
Passing sentence, Recorder Julian Shaw noted the sadistic elements of the false imprisonment and declared Mattinson-Smith a dangerous offender under statutory sentencing provisions. The judge imposed an extended custodial sentence:
- Seven years and six months’ immediate imprisonment
- A three-year extended licence period under supervision upon release
- An indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO)
- Indefinite restraining orders preventing any direct or indirect contact with the victims
- Indefinite notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for life under the Sexual Offences Act 2003
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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