Sports coach who posed as a woman to trick young footballers into sending him naked photos of themselves is jailed 

  • Football coach Matthew Anthony, 32, chatted with his victims on Instagram
  • He created two online profiles and encouraged boys to send him naked pictures
  • He was jailed for two-and-a-half years and banned from working with children

Pervert sports coach Matthew Anthony, 32, has been jailed

Pervert sports coach Matthew Anthony, 32, has been jailed

A pervert sports coach who posed as a woman to persuade young footballers to send him naked images of themselves has been jailed.

Matthew Anthony, 32, created two online profiles and then chatted with his victims on Instagram before asking them to send him naked pictures.

When police raided Anthony's house and seized computer equipment they discovered hundreds of other indecent images - including some of five babies as young as six-months-old.

Anthony, of Stafford, Staffordshire, admitted making indecent images and causing boys to engage in non-penetrative sexual activity.

The amateur football coach was jailed for two-and-a-half years, barred from working with children, and was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. 

Prosecutor Neil Ahuja said: 'The defendant set up and used two fake female profiles. He entered into conversation on Instagram for the youngsters to send naked images of themselves to him.

'He would ask some of them if they had seen their friends naked. Naked images of these boys were found on his device.'

The court heard Anthony 'discovered he was gay' when he was 15.

Hamish Noble, defending, said: 'He knows he has done dreadful things and that they've had a great impact on his victims' lives. He was frank in his police interview to a degree. 

His sexuality has been a troubling area for him since he was 15 years old when he discovered he was gay. He has never developed a proper relationship with any other male.

'He led a private life accessing pornography and had been for five or six years which progressed to more severe offences such as using the internet to induce children to send images to him.

'He knows the impact of what he's done and he has lost his good character in a significant way. He expresses his real remorse for what he did.' 

Anthony was jailed for two-and-a-half years, barred from working with children and was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court

Anthony was jailed for two-and-a-half years, barred from working with children and was handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court

Sentencing Anthony at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court, judge Paul Glenn said his offending had had a 'profound impact' on his victims.

He told the Anthony: 'You targeted your victims and were aware of how old they were.

'You knew most, if not all of them thorough football coaching. There is a breach of trust to the boys and their parents.

'It is plain a number were hugely embarrassed about sending you naked photos. Their images were stored. The victims refer to feeling stupid, distraught and disgusted.

'You goaded them into sending you more material by calling them cowards when they wouldn't. It has had a profound impact on the victims and their parents.

'You had a significant amount of pictures of the most serious categories A and B. One of those images were of five babies. Some at category C were of the victims.'

 

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