A 48-year-old man from Halewood has been sentenced to two years and one month’s imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting to possessing and taking illicit images of children.
Mathew Hargreaves, of Halewood, appeared for sentence on Friday 23 October 2026 following an investigation conducted by Merseyside Police.
Officers arrested Hargreaves after uncovering digital evidence demonstrating the acquisition and production of child abuse material. Forensic examination of electronic devices confirmed the presence of illicit files spanning all severity classifications, including Category A, representing the most extreme abuse material, alongside Category B and Category C files.
Hargreaves was charged and remanded into custody. While awaiting trial proceedings, he entered an additional guilty plea in September to a further charge of taking an indecent Category C image of a child.
Hargreaves stood convicted of:
Making indecent images of children (Category A)
Making indecent images of children (Category B)
Making indecent images of children (Category C)
Taking an indecent Category C image of a child
Passing sentence on Friday 23 October 2026, the Crown Court judge addressed the illegality of possessing and creating child abuse material, sentencing Hargreaves to an immediate term of two years and one month’s imprisonment. Hargreaves will serve half of the custodial period in prison before being released on licence under the supervision of the Probation Service.
To protect the public upon his release, the court imposed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order restricting his access to internet-enabled devices and contact with young people. The judge also ordered that Hargreaves comply with mandatory notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register for a period of 10 years, alongside barring him from regulated activity involving children or vulnerable adults.
Image – Anonymous Artist Impression
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